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

Last summer we had a blast driving around the state meeting dance teams. It sort of used up my car, and I’m not proud to admit that I ate a few drive-thru meals that I shouldn’t have. But I met a ton of cool people, and it reminded me of just how remarkable dancers and coaches are. I also got to listen to what dancers had on their minds when it comes to their sport.

This year, we’ve got a little twist for Summer Tour ’17. We have a theme!

Dance never stops. I’ll hashtag it later in the post, but for now, just let those 3 words sink in.

Poms, dance team, whatever you happen to call it―it’s an exceptional sport. It keeps going. It couldn’t stop or pause even if it wanted to.

Summer! It’s got this energy that can’t be beat. Part of it is the season: this time of the year just evokes youth, enthusiasm, somehow balancing drive and laid-backness. It’s a strange, unique mix of…you. Your job, your friends, that summer reading you might get to, late nights. It’s everything about you that doesn’t have to do with being a student.

And part of it is what dance teams naturally do during what outsiders call “the offseason.” No one’s out of the running. Scores don’t hang over you, closing windows. No, the future’s wide open right now, driven by the spirit of June, July, and August, when everything in the world just seems to look beautiful. Every dancer everywhere can and should dream of an incredible fall and winter. Is there a better time to dream? To work for it?

It keeps going, you keep going. Your team’s driven by hopes of glory on a big state stage in January, or a big state floor in February. And whether it’s 2017, 2007, or 1997, the lesson’s been the same: if you’re serious, start early. Start now. Start in the summertime.

Technique. Team bonding, team-building. Seasoned coaches, rookie coaches, and the in-betweeners. Varsity seniors ready to run the show. JV freshmen still clueless about what that first day of high school will really be like. Camps, fundraisers, parades, and events that show the community how proud you are to be part of something bigger.

All of this in the carefree atmosphere of summer, when you’re supposed to be 2 things. A kid, having a summer. And also a dance team member, laying the groundwork for what could be an awesome season.

That’s why #danceneverstops. It’s a celebration of what you do, all the sweat and sore muscles, all the slaying of fear as you conquer the process of upgrading your technique. It’s a celebration of the fact that you can do all that for the sake of something great that might happen in the middle of winter. A celebration that you’re pushing hard while keeping summer fun, like it should be!

So when we come by to watch you practice or raise some cash at a carwash, we’re there to celebrate your dance team’s summer. We’re there to help show other teams why, for you guys, dance never stops. We’re there to exchange a few ideas (if you have time!) on what’s going on in the Illinois Dance Community. Best of all? We’re there to document a moment in your summer, something to look back on later in the year when your dance life will probably feel a lot different.

Ready to celebrate? Let’s go!

Want to show us what your team’s up to? We’d love to stop by a practice and watch, listen, and chat! Just drop us a message!