On Saturday, November 23, the varsity dance team competed at Libertyville High School and had a 4.8 increase in their overall score from their previous competition.

The dancers have been working hard for the past month to continuously increase their scores for competitions by running and fixing their dance based on the judges’ critics.

“[At practice] we try and stay focused as much as possible, since we have to make changes based on what the judges say. You have to stay positive and concentrated to be able to do those changes and succeed,” said junior Monse Reynoso.

There are some ways that the dancers personally prepare themselves before each performance such as breathing exercises and thinking of the dance they are about to perform.

“I personally put my head against the wall before we perform and I repeat the things I need to remember, out loud, with my eyes closed, and I focus on my breathing. Then I hold my head high and take the floor,” said senior Evelyn Hauer.

The team has also began to start cleaning their dance and making changes to their competition dance.

“As a team, we are getting better at picking up choreography changes and being sharper. We’ve put a lot of hard work when it comes to being sharp so it has paid off,” Reynoso said.

Finally, there are activities that the dancers all do together before their competition day even begins.

“We always stop at Target before we go to a competition. We always do Target runs, and I am not even sure why. We also hold hands before we go on and say ‘I am’ statements before we perform. Most people say things like ‘I am strong’ or ‘I am confident’. Coack K always says she is excited and Coach L always says she is proud,” Hauer said.

Since then, the dance team has competed at Mundelein High School and will be performing at Stevenson High School on Sunday, December 15.