UPDATES
MONDAY 11/25/19:
Highlights and notes added…scroll down!
WEDNESDAY 11/20/19:
The team that rocked so close to the top of 2A last season hosts a petite but sweet set of teams on Saturday afternoon. You’ll see 2A stars Fenton unveil their work alongside Deerfield. Palatine and Shepard come back for a second consecutive weekend on the comp floor. Hoffman Estates has done a great job moving in the right direction, so I’m excited to see how they start their comp season. Whitney Young never fails to wow the crowd. Evanston doesn’t have much competitive experience over recent seasons, so it’s always nice to see them on the schedule. Vernon Hills and St. Ignatius try their hand at the same-day approach, dancing at Libertyville in the morning and then here in the afternoon!
THE LOWDOWN
LOCATION:
Deerfield HS. 1959 N. Waukegan Rd., Deerfield, IL 60015
TIME:
Saturday, November 23. Starts at 2, last routine scheduled for 3:42
TEAM DIVISIONS:
3A, 2A, and JV2A
FAN TIPS:
Dance fans, here’s your shot at trying the twofer: Libertyville in the morning and Deerfield in the afternoon, with no overlap and lots of time to drive the 11 miles between the schools. It’ll be slightly challenging with Deerfield also hosting a playoff football game, so type in their address, hit “satellite view” on your phone map app, and pick your parking strategy. With a compact schedule expect a chill pace and room to stretch out in the bleachers!
HIGHLIGHTS
Palatine stepped it up last year, so I was curious to see how they’d start this season. Yes, it was a small 3A field, but these dancers came out on top with a floor-filling pom routine that’s strong on the visuals. Gotta root for programs like this that work hard to make a turnaround last for more than a single season!
It’s always intriguing to find out how an established program starts a new era when it gets a new coach. For Fenton, though, it should be a smooth transition with former assistant coach Annelis Chaidez stepping up to the head position. You knew the dance would be hip hop, it’d probably feature intense costuming, and that it’d be well-executed with eye-catching formations. That’s exactly what we got Saturday afternoon. I’m starting to envision what this one might look like downstate.
I don’t get to see Evanston’s dance team that often, so this was a rare treat to check out where the program is these days. And they opened my eyes with a clearly upgraded level of choreo and execution. Not sure what their comp schedule is like or which sectional they’ll be assigned to, but 3A shouldn’t be surprised if they make things exciting in January. Huge congrats to this team on picking up a 2nd place ranking!
If you keep doing you, but are also willing to make adjustments, good things often happen. Vernon Hills was solid at their morning comp but definitely brought it for the afternoon session here at Deerfield. It might’ve also looked bigger against the background of a big gym (the kind where the bleachers in the background kind of enhance the depth of the stage), but the main factor was that these dancers stepped it up!
Hip hop fans totally got their fill for such a small competition, and part of the credit goes to the famous Whitney Young DT. This one had a little different of a vibe from their previous routines, but kept up the tradition of strong visuals that show off their creativity and expressiveness. I’m always a fan of athletic teams that rock it in the classroom and on the comp floor, so these dancers have my perennial admiration.
Another city team at Deerfield was St. Ignatius, but the irony is that they were coming from the north that afternoon since they’d danced at Libertyville’s comp in the morning. Like Vernon Hills, this was another case of looking a little sharper on the second run of the day. I remember seeing this program once in awhile over the years, and then suddenly taking notice when they earned a 2nd at conference last January. These ladies are definitely on the rise, 2A!
3 or 4 years ago, Hoffman Estates’ dance program didn’t have the strongest identity. They’ve gradually built up to the kind of team that shows up with jazz and lyrical chops that fit right into the rest of the 2A field. All the right ingredients showed up in their Saturday performance, including numbers on the floor (in years past, small rosters probably ruled out flashier choreo). They’ll clean this one throughout the winter and will likely be a force come sectionals.
Deerfield was the talk of 2A a year ago and they backed it up with a stunner on Day 2 of IHSA state. The program isn’t that active over the summer and fall is all about football, so these ladies deserve tons of credit for looking so fierce in mid-November. It looks like they cranked things up by 2 or 3 levels versus last season, letting you know there’s more to 2A hip hop than Fenton, LZ, and Lincoln Way West. Legit to repeat their feat of last season? Yes. And with even stronger dancers and a more potent dance.
ILLINOIS DANCERS
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Some prominent IHSA teams join in on the fun at Gardner-South Wilmington [more]
Up Next: a crazy talented split schedule at Minooka
12.04.19
Who needs an IHSA state crystal ball to look into the future when you can just come to the Minooka comp? [more]
Up Next: modern dance, vintage gym, great hosts at Batavia
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Chi-area teams from the central and far west suburbs meet up [more]
Up Next: the 2A champs host a huge showdown
12.04.19
Big name teams battle for 2A prestige at Lake Zurich [more]
Up Next: 2A in the morning, 3A and 1A in the pm
11.28.19
Props to these teams for dancing at the end of Thanksgiving weekend [more]
Up Next: an afternoon-only sesh at Deerfield
11.20.19
After your morning at Libertyville, head 11 miles south for part 2 at Deerfield! [more]
Up Next: a morning-only sesh at Libertyville
11.20.19
Preview and fan tips from the host team! [more]
DANCERS EVERYWHERE
(coming soon)
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