The four-time national winning RV Dance Team began to prepare for Nationals in early September.
This season, the team consists of 24 dancers, 11 of which are soon to be graduating seniors. The dancers take their pre-season very seriously, as they believe it will set them up for their practices starting in January to prepare for their Nationals competition. With the support from each other and their coaches, the RV dance team hopes to keep up a positive mental attitude and the continuation of hard work all season long.
The RV Dance Team started their preseason with captain’s practices on Mondays and Wednesdays in late September. In these practices, the dancers acquire and work on new skills needed to improve their dancing ability.
“I’m looking forward to nationals this year because it’s my last year on the team,” said Solaya Rios, the co-captain of this year’s team. “and we have a really good chance of winning a jacket. We have an extra hip-hop dance that we’re taking to nationals which gives us a really high chance of doing well and earning what we deserve.”
The captain’s practices are filled with different practice plans that work on areas the officers may feel the dancers need to improve in.
During pre-season, the dance team performs at several different community events to gain experience in being an active role in the community. The team will perform multiple routines at different events such as township days and basketball games as a source of entertainment for those attending.
“Preseason is one of the most crucial times throughout the season for our dancers to work on themselves and get ready to dance as one all season long,” said RV alum and newly-hired coach, Mikeala O’Hara.
The dance team also performs at events involving BSU and different sending districts, as well as at boys’ and girls basketball games. They enjoy performing at these events to play an active role in the community and gain practice dancing in front of audiences.
The other main focus of the dance team’s pre-season is preparing for their dance showcase held in January of every year. This showcase is held to raise money for the team’s nationals trip and allows the dancers to participate in other routines.
“I enjoy the practices leading up to the showcase because they are lots more fun than regular practices,” said senior Tatiana Morton. “I also love using my own creativity to choreograph and perform other genres of dance.”
In the showcase, the dance team involves other groups such as the Color Guard, RVDT Sweethearts, and WMS Middle School to perform routines at the show.
The pre-season is a very important time for dancers on the RV dance team. The dancers learn and practice their nationals routine as well as perform at community events. The coaches believe everything done in pre-season is in preparation for RVDT’s actual season. The team really enjoys taking time off from practicing their nationals routines to shift their focus to other events that can benefit others.
