Slideshow 7 extra notes
slide 1: Bartlett
Their lyrical was gorgeous but we can’t overlook this team’s very good jazz work. This shot is from the Waubonsie comp on December 8th.
slide 2: Casey-Westfield
Solid tilt action at IDTA state back on February 9th! Over in IHSA they dance as a 1A team. (Casey is a small town in east-central Illinois, maybe an hour south of Champaign)
slide 3: Jacobs
HDJ has a unique, hillside setup for their football stadium, something you’d never know by just driving by the front of the school. The girls are getting ready to start pregame in this picture from September 21st.
slide 4: Belleville West
I like how their red costumes pop against the lit-up scorer’s table at Edwardsville’s classy gym. The BWTHS dancers competed there on January 5th.
slide 5: Fenton
Varsity and JV got together for this picture when I visited practice on the evening of June 25th. Can you tell they were working on hip hop skills?
slide 6: Johnsburg
The JHS dancers brought their high-energy hip hop routine to the Crystal Lake Central comp on December 2nd. The bleachers were full so I hung out on the balcony off to the side. Johnsburg has a strong tradition of crowd-pleasing hip hop dances!
slide 7: Oak Park-River Forest
These dancers are part of a program that goes back decades in Illinois competitive dance. This picture’s from the Waubonsie comp on December 8th when OPRF performed their hip hop routine.
slide 8: South Elgin
The SEHS dancers usually run their car washes by a McDonalds on Rt. 59. I’ll always remember listening in on a convo between a recent alum, her mom, and Coach Shields about making the transition from high school dance team to trying out for a Big Ten team. Props to whoever made their poster (I think the bubbles totally make this sign)!
slide 9: Barrington
The Broncettes danced on January 6th at the Huntley competition. They’d be back on this floor a couple weeks later at sectionals to claim a spot at IHSA state.
slide 10: Batavia
The dancers who go through the Batavia program have to excel at multiple styles: pom, jazz, lyrical, and even hip hop and kick lines for halftime routines. This moment is from the DuKane conference competition on January 10th.
slide 11: Pinckneyville
When I’m tweeting quickly at comps it can be tricky spelling this team correctly! I was on the upper balcony at the 2/2 Highland competition as PCHS danced the same routine they brought to IHSA state the previous weekend.
slide 12: Mundelein competition
Talented teams and anxious fans await the results of their first competition back on November 18th!
slide 13: Carmel
For the past few years this team’s been quietly solid. Besides having a good pom routine, this year’s Carmel dancers also brought a challenging hip hop dance to comps like Warren on 12/16.