by Norm Ramil / 8ca.music.person & dance.fan

One of the most dominant state teams of this decade isn’t from the St. Louis or Chicago areas. When it comes to hip hop, Villa Grove has been crushin’ it for years in IHSA 1A and IDTA single-A competition. The team’s from a small town of 2,500 in east-central Illinois, something like a half hour south of the U of I campus.

For a school of less than 200 kids, Villa Grove has a solid foothold in the world of competitive dance (scroll down for their robust list of state appearances). Just a handful of dance teams are my go-to for a killer hip hop routine, and the VG Devilettes are one of them! According to their Twitter (@VGDevilettes), they’ve been selling cookie dough for the past couple weeks, so give them credit for giving the people what they want (precise hip hop performances and tasty summer treats). And scrolling through the Devilettes’ Insta (@vgdevilettes), I’m seeing yet another very cool fundraising idea: Trivia Night at the local VFW hall. 

I’ve got to thank Coach Bouton for letting us go behind the scenes and discover how this upper-crust hip hop team gets it done!

Official Team Name:

Villa Grove Devilettes (school mascot: Blue Devils)

Class:

IHSA 1A, IDTA A

Conference:

Little Okaw Valley

Coach:

Sarah Bouton

Team Breakdown:

Thank you to Coach Bouton for talking with us! Here’s our email interview:

What are your team’s strengths and what are you hoping to improve on this season?

As a coach of a higher-skilled hip hop team I always encourage them to try new things. The girls always enjoy learning new tricks and choreography especially. We are definitely looking to improve our unity as a team this year.

What categories or styles of dance will you compete in?

We compete in Single A Hip Hop in IDTA and compete in IHSA overall as well.

What skills do dancers need to try out for this team?

We have our technique clinic every year which is one day where you learn all the skills needed in order to  tryout such as a turn, leap, toe touch, special skills, and any tricks that will be in the tryout dance. Our tryout clinics last 4 days, with tryouts being on the 5th day. 

Do a lot of your girls have a technical/studio background?

We are a very small town so none of the girls have a studio/technical background. Most of them started at a very young age and went to most of the clinics the Devilettes had as well as trying out for the Junior Devilettes [at Villa Grove Junior High]. (8CA: the junior high team also has multiple state championships in IDTA hip hop)

What does the team do with its summer and fall?

Most of our summer includes practicing 2-3 times a week and getting the girls in shape. We are doing some weight training this summer and the girls are loving it (and feeling it). The girls have a great opportunity to sell tickets to a Cardinals game every year and then perform before the game. They also will be hosting a trivia night with their sister team the Junior Devilettes.  

Lastly, in the fall the girls perform for our “Fight like a Blue Devil” night. This year we will be hosting a breakfast for the public and donating half those proceeds to Mills Breast Cancer Association.

Can you tell us more about your performance / competition schedule throughout the year?

The girls start out performing at [IDTA’s] Start the Beat with their solo, duo, small group, etc., which is usually in October. Our competitions start in December and run through February. Throughout the year we perform at football games, festivals, assemblies, and basketball games.

What’s the Devilettes practice schedule like?

Our practice schedule definitely changes throughout the year. As the year progresses we practice 4-5 times a week, and sometimes we spend our Saturdays practicing for 6-7 hours.

Do you guys have a dedicated practice space?

We usually just practice in the gym or whenever we are put in the school, honestly. Sometimes it’s the cafeteria or the hallways.

Are there any challenges to being a team that’s from outside the St. Louis or Chicago areas?

Since we are not a higher profile team from the Chicago / St. Louis area it’s hard to believe how much support we receive from just our small town alone and other surrounding towns. We couldn’t be more thankful for the support system and how it’s grown over the years–I think that is something that really keeps us going.

Anything about the coaches’ backgrounds and your coaching philosophy?

My name is Sarah Bouton and I’m 21–I had previously coached the Junior Devilettes for the past 3 years. I moved up to coach high school this year and I honestly never thought I would get this amazing opportunity. My senior year, Alyssa Hudson was the coach and I just remember being like, “Wow, she made such a big impact on this team and [on me] personally– I want to do the same someday.” I think one thing that’s really important to me as a coach is that you have to be an outlet for these girls and be a positive role model.

Are you guys big fans of other teams?

As far as watching other teams the girls love to watch Quincy Notre Dame, Clinton, and Mattoon. When you see other teams supporting one another it just makes it that much better.

What are you looking forward to this year?

The Devilettes have a total of 6 State Championships in 1A Hip Hop and placed 3rd at IHSA State in 2015. One of our main goals is to definitely improve in IHSA this year, so the girls are pretty excited to get started!

Villa Grove Devilettes at State

IDTA 2000: 4th in A Aerobic Funk (hip hop)

IDTA 2003: 4th in A Pom

IDTA 2004 : 4th in A Pom

IDTA 2007: t-7th in A Pom

IDTA 2008: 3rd in A Pom

IDTA 2009: 5th in A Pom, 2nd in A Hip Hop

IDTA 2010: 6th in A Pom, 6th in A Hip Hop

IDTA 2011: 8th in A Pom, 4th in A Hip Hop

IDTA 2012: Champions in A Hip Hop

IDTA 2013: 2nd in A Hip Hop

IDTA 2014: Champions in A Hip Hop

IHSA 2015: t-3rd in 1A (Day 2)

IDTA 2015: Champions in A Hip Hop

IHSA 2016: 6th in 1A (Day 2)

IDTA 2016: Champions in A Hip Hop

IHSA 2017: 5th in 1A (Day 2)

IDTA 2017: Champions in A Hip Hop

IHSA 2018: 15th in 1A

IDTA 2018: Champions in A Hip Hop