Team Feature: Downers Grove South

by Norm Ramil, 8 Count Audio chief.music.officer & dance.fan

It’s a steamy morning in mid-June, and the Downers Grove South Dance Team is hard at work in a small gym with the outside doors propped open. The summer air isn’t much cooler than their practice space. I’m not sure if a breeze is actually coming in, but at least the blue sky and brilliant sunshine create the mere hope that the air is circulating. All I’m sure of is that I’m glad I took Coach Dawn Jovic’s advice to dress for the heat.

You’d never know that the lack of air conditioning is a problem by watching the girls because they’re totally locked in to the task of learning their home routine for camp next month. The Fillies (the school mascot is a mustang) are hard at work learning more of this dance, guided by captains and the coaches. They’ve got to pick up the choreo fast: this routine is set to debut at their kids camp next week. From what I can see, they’re definitely on track to impress audiences both this summer and beyond.

An Elite Program Rebuilds

The huge, 23-member varsity team is in rebuilding mode: 12 seniors graduated last month. Just four of the current dancers were on last year’s state-qualifying team. But Coach Jovic is uniquely qualified to manage the rebuilding process. Somewhat of a micro-manager, she coached for 11 years at DGS before taking last year off to have her second daughter. Needless to say, leaving for a year and handing over the big chair wasn’t easy. She’s now back and has the help of 2014 alum Ellena Chaplin, now serving as the first-ever varsity assistant coach. Mariterese Altosino, also a former team member, is the new JV coach.

The DGS Filies enjoy legit status as a top-tier team in Illinois dance–they own three open-pom state championships from the mid-2000s in Halftime Illinois, plus four from their time in Team Dance Illinois. Throw in several 2nd place finishes in hip hop and open-dance, and you’ve got an elite dance program.

Trying out for the DGS dance team involves learning a routine and getting scored on pirouettes, kicks, and toe-touch jumps. Surprisingly, this high-profile team starts each summer with an empty slate, and it’s up to the girls and their coaches to take the fundamentals and move toward greatness. ”We’re pretty much looking for potential,” says the veteran coach. “We pride ourselves on being able to train our dancers throughout the season…we don’t simply select girls that are already good dancers and put them into formation.”

Still, technical training makes a difference. The girls come from many different local dance studios, including Bluestone Academy, The Center for Dance, Dance Dimensions, The Academy of Dance Arts, Beyond The Stars, and Expressions.

Summer Mode and Fall Focus

Summer activities include general conditioning practices, balanced with some creative sessions—for example, Coach Jovic has the team expanding its repertoire with optional acro skills. Practices help the team get ready for UDA camp, and then they turn their attention to crafting routines for football season. There’s also their kids camp that’s also their first chance to try out their home routine in front of a friendly audience of (possibly) future DGS dancers.

Amazingly, this team only practices twice a week once school starts. This promotes the idea that every second of practice time is precious: warm-up, conditioning, and skills for the first 30 to 45 minutes, followed by learning and cleaning their routines. This year, DGS plans to create an open pom style routine and an open dance one.

Keeping it all-DGS

All 3 DGS coaches are former varsity alums. Coach Jovic, who holds a dance degree from Illinois, has studied with the Joffrey Ballet and Midwest Ballet Academy, and performed with the hip hop group Dance 2XS. JV Coach Mariterese Altosino competed on Xtreme Dance Force and the Academy of Dance Arts before studying dance at Columbia College. She’s been on the UDA staff for five years and currently dances with the Giordano II company. Varsity Assistant Coach Ellena Chaplin studied at the Midwest Ballet Academy and teaches and choreographs for Beyond the Stars Academy, plus dances with the pro company Merikai.

The DGS coaching tree even extends into the highest levels of competitive dance. Jovic adds, “I have to give a special shout-out to Gina Dryden, who was my Fillies coach, and coached the team for 10 years before I started.” She’s also grateful for former JV Coach Jessica Neibert, who handled JV duties for 9 seasons alongside her: “Her training and dedication to the JV team contributed to the success of the Varsity team immeasurably.” Vickie Donnelly also gets a huge thanks for coaching Varsity last year, giving Jovic the chance to focus on her newborn and then to come back to coaching her beloved Fillies.

“I have always encouraged using dance to teach other life skills,” says Jovic, citing the many DGS alums who are doctors, teachers, pharmacists, physical therapists, and dedicated moms. “Having had the honor to be a part of their lives means so much more to me than any trophy.” With such a long history of success, it’s no surprise that DGS dancers have made the rosters of some high profile college dance teams, including Iowa, Illinois, and Illinois State. A few have gone pro, dancing for Disneyland, The Chicago Rush Dance Team, and the professional hip hop dance company The Puzzle League.

Ready for the real heat?

That’s the cheerful warning I get as I follow varsity up the stairs toward the dance studio. On this sticky June morning, after the Fillies nail down the essential parts of their routine, they shift to their upstairs dance room. Here’s their chance to put together all of the collaboration, refinements, and fast learning that went on downstairs—this time in front of the mirror.

Besides me, the dance room audience includes JV (the Pintos), whose own practice is up next. Dance team alum Emily David, currently on Iowa’s dance team, is also present to help out the relatively inexperienced team. Assistant Coach Ellena runs the music and evaluates the left half of the formation, and Coach Jovic has the right side. A couple more run-throughs of the home routine, some clarifications, a few announcements, and Varsity exits to enjoy the rest of their Wednesday.

They’ll be back on Friday. If the trend continues, somewhere in that dance room is at least one future DGS dance coach, and at least one future alum who’ll be helping out next summer. Until then, the girls have this season to focus on, and success in January all begins with these hot mornings in the gym.