Featured Dancer: Gracie Makris
by Norm Ramil / 8ca.music.person & dance.fan
If you look at the IHSA era of our sport, one of the best turnaround stories is Waubonsie Valley. These days, they’re a team you worry about at sectionals, a team you’ll probably run into in Bloomington in late January.
Gracie Makris was one of the dancers who you’d walk into practice and instantly identify as a leader. Whenever I came across her Waubonsie Valley Dance Team at practices or competitions, the senior captain was ever-upbeat and positive–a perfect extension of Coach Megan Dougherty’s vibes.
In the midst of springtime senior-ness, the newly former 4-year varsity dancer was nice enough to take the time to answer our questions about her dance story, her team’s success, and whether she’s a dog or cat person:
Dance background:
“My dance background is a little unconventional. I grew up training in a ballet studio for almost 13 years. I did a little bit of of contemporary and jazz training but my primary style had always been ballet. I danced for the studio’s company for 10 years up until my junior year. For my junior and senior year, I switched studios and continued my training at Inspire School of Dance and have been there ever since!”
Her time on the team:
“In my time on the WV dance team, I have been on varsity for all 4 years. I have done choreography for football season for 3 years, as well as helping choreograph our competition routine my sophomore year and fully choreographing our competitive routines for my junior and senior year. I have also been a captain of the varsity team for 2 years. Being on the dance team changed my entire perspective on dance, and made me realize that there is so much more out there than just the ballet and contemporary that I was used to. It has given me the most amazing opportunities, and made my love for dance grow even stronger. This program has truly changed my life.”
Loves to watch, loves to perform:
“My favorite styles of dance to watch are contemporary and lyrical, but I also love watching a good hip hop routine. My favorite styles to perform are lyrical and contemporary but I also love pom! I love lyrical/ contemporary because of the emotion that goes into it and the beauty/elegance that these styles encompass. Pom is one of my favorites because of the challenge that it has been to me and the great feeling you have when you did a super clean routine all the way through.”
Been crushin’ this skill for a long time:
“I have always loved to turn, so a special skill that came to me easily would probably be turning.”
Though it took awhile to get it:
“One skill that I worked really hard to improve at was my head spring, and I am very happy that I was able to improve it in time to put in one of our competition routines this year.”
Fave memories of being on her team:
“My favorite memories from being on the dance team have to be going to state, performing in the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami during my sophomore year, and having fun with my amazing teammates that have become my best friends.”
Dance plans:
“I plan to continue to dance in college, either on a college dance team or with a minor in dance, maybe both! I can’t imagine dance not being in my life after I graduate.”
Thoughts on this past season:
“This past season was an amazing step in the right direction for our program! Going to state was an amazing accomplishment and we were so happy to make a comeback and show that we are a force to be reckoned with.”
On Waubonsie’s love of lyrical:
“What has made us such a great lyrical team over the past couple of years has really been the emotional aspect and picking a competitive song that we all feel that we can relate to emotionally. It has always been something that feels good for us to dance so I think that helps making the dance look more impressive.”
Trophy tendencies at the Grayslake Central competition, every single year:
“I think the reason why we have always been so strong at the Greyslake Central invite is that we really just mesh as a team. It’s late in the season and our last regular competition before sectionals and state, so there is always a feeling of knowing what we have to do, but also knowing that why we are doing dancing in the first place: for our love for each other and for dance.”
“Time flies through your senior year and then all of the sudden it is already over. Take it all in, laugh a lot, and give everything you have to your team in your final year in the program“
On being done with high school dance:
“It is very bittersweet to be done with my senior dance season. In a weird way it doesn’t feel real yet because in the back of my head I think that tryouts are coming up soon but they actually aren’t! It is a surreal feeling. I actually am preparing for college dance tryouts, so it does help that I have another goal that I am driven by in these months without high school dance.”
Would change this about Illinois competitive dance:
“I would put categories in every competition. I think that it is so unfair to certain teams to have jazz, lyrical, hip hop, pom and kick all competing against each other in the same division. I feel like there is some favoritism by judges in what they choose to place higher in a competition, and I think it would benefit everyone to follow a category program similar to UDA, with jazz, pom, hip hop, and kick categories. It has never made sense to me to have lyrical and hip hop going against each other, they are just completely different.”
Kids gotta work on this skill:
“I don’t think there is only one essential skill for a new competitive dancer to work on. Obviously having strong skills and technique are extremely beneficial, but something that has always stood out more to me is having confidence in what you are doing and a smile while you are doing it. It makes the dancing so much more enjoyable to watch and adds so much to just a regular technical skill.”
Do this to get better at lyrical/contemporary:
“The advice I would give to a younger dancer looking to improve on the lyrical style would be to put everything you have into it. It is so important in lyrical to express your emotion and show your heart while you are dancing.”
To the juniors about to be seniors:
“Advice I would give to juniors for entering your senior year is to enjoy every second of it. It sounds so cliché, but time flies through your senior year and then all of the sudden it is already over. Take it all in, laugh a lot, and give everything you have to your team in your final year in the program.”
Any binge watch habits?
“I love to watch The Vampire Diaries, Friends and One Tree Hill.”
Which artist or band would you bring to Waubonsie to play a show?
“If I could bring an artist to play a show at waubonsie I would choose Billie Eilish because I really like her music!”
Warmup music:
“When I warm up I listen to all different kinds of music depending on what I am warming up for. If it is just practice I usually will listen to something very chill and calm, but if it is for a competition I listen to songs that will really motivate me and hype up the rest of the team.”
Most embarrassing dance moment:
“My most embarrassing dance moment was during my freshman year football season during one of our pregame performances. We do this rotation with the cheer team where we switch off performing; when we are dancing we are in lines on the track and then we split down the middle and run around the cheer team as they come through the middle, and vice versa. Also, to make matters worse I was on the end of the line so I was the one to lead the running. So, after we finished one of our little dances, I took off running and made it all the way to the back of the track only to realize that my team was in the middle of doing another routine. I sprinted back to my spot and was so embarrassed, and there is a very good video of me doing all of this. I can laugh at it now, but back when I was a little freshman I was so embarrassed that I did this in front of our entire student section of kids that were all older than me.”
Dogs or cats?
“Both! I have a dog but I also love cats.”
Most impressive skill outside of dance:
“Probably my ability to get ready for school very fast.”
Who would play you and your teammates in a movie?
“I would choose a big group of awesome and talented actresses who can play my team! For my head coach [Megan Dougherty] I would probably pick Jennifer Aniston (she loves Friends) and I would cast Blake Lively as myself.”