Life’s a dance

Almost 50 years ago, Kathy Enyart decided to start a dance team at Monroe High School. That decision started the growth of what would become the largest dance and drill team state competition in the country.

At the end of each November and start of December, thousands of dancers on hundreds of teams from across the state fill Wells Fargo Arena to show off their moves in hopes of bringing home a championship trophy at the Iowa State Dance Team Association state competition. Area teams have a long history at state competitions, and their coaches not only now lead their teams but many competed on the floor themselves.

“What I love about dance team being a former dancer was being a part of a team with girls who also enjoyed having the same passion as I did growing up,” PCM Dance Team Coach Lainy Curry said. “As a coach, what I love about dance team is being able to help high school dancers reach the same goals as I did when I was on the dance team. It is very rewarding to help a the dancers grow not only into better performers but to help teach them other life skills that dance has to offer.”

Dance teams often take on the feel of a family, with hundreds of hours put in together to perfect routines. Dancers go through the stereotypical blood, sweat and tears to make sure each arm placement is perfect on the beat and toes are pointed as soon as they rise from the floor.

“I love dance team because of the family culture you can create. Every person is a valued member of the team. We need each other to make the team a successful unit,” Baxter Dance Team Coach Nicole Burdess said. “Dance team is different than any other team because they work hard all year long to go to state and showcase their hard work and dedication. Participating in this team drives their desire to be a part of something really unique and different.”

The skills the dancers learn along the way can be used for the rest of their lives. Learning to work together as a team while taking responsibility for their own part is only a fraction of what they take away from the experience.

“Dance team is a great team to be apart of, because I believe it builds confidence in students,” Colfax-Mingo Dance Team Coach Kelsey Gillespie said. “It gives them goals to work towards and really strengthens them not only physically, but mentally, as well. Dance team doesn’t just teach students how to dance, it also teaches discipline, commitment and shows results based off the hard work they put into their routines.”

It is also an outlet for those who have put in years of practice outside of the school at a studio to show a greater audience where they have come and how they have grown.

“I think it’s important because just like any sport, representation matters,” Newton Pacesetters Coach Graham Sullivan said. “To have an outlet at the high school level for those who have taken dance classes since they were two years old to help those athletes to be seen. It creates a family for them to belong to while in high school.”

Often heading in to practice before the sun rises, the dancers need to have the dedication and determination to put in a couple of hours of work before most people’s days even begin. Taking on a variety of dances which each show unique skills showcases the versatility of dancers and the drive they have to make them the best they can be.

“Dance team is responsible for teaching what ‘team’ is,” Curry said. “There are major adjustments in technique when switching styles of dance. You have to make a personal commitment to be able to dance in perfect harmony while showing the appropriate emotion to match the music and style of dance you perform.

“It is very physically and mentally demanding. It raises the adrenaline and success evolves from personal dedication and teamwork. It builds self-confidence, integrity, allows self-expression, it helps you become a problem solver and most of all it simply makes you feel good!”

All of the hard work culminates on the floor of Wells Fargo Arena as the dancers step into the spotlight of state competition. Whether they come out on top of their category or put on their best performance, the experience is one that the dancers and coaches will never forget.

“The best part of state competition is getting to experience the moment when they get out on the floor and show what they have been working toward, for the past five months,” Sullivan said.

Curry has many family ties to the competition besides bringing her own team. From her mom to her sister and now her niece, dance team has always been a family tradition and they have seen it grow to the top-tier level it is now.

“As a second year head coach, what comes to mind is progress. From my mother’s era in 1980-1984, there were three styles of dance: pom, novelty and kick. There was large school and small school,” Curry said. “Jump to my era, performing at Wells Fargo and Hy-Vee Hall versus a large school’s gym and having eight styles of dance and 300 Iowa schools represented. There are more than 5,000 dancers that compete and over 2,000 routines in two days.

“My mom, my sister, myself and now my niece have all danced for four years in high school on a dance team that competed through ISDTA. We have met lifelong friends through this experience and now we all volunteer to keep it going forward, growing and to not be afraid of change to make things better for those coming up.”

Enyart served as ISDTA director for decades before passing the baton to her daughter who heads up the association to this day. What started in local gyms by a coach from smalltown Iowa has grown into the destination competition. And it’s only getting started.

The Newton Pacesetters will perform their kick routine at 10:31 a.m. in Wells Fargo, pom at 11:36 a.m. in Wells Fargo, contemporary at 4:57 p.m. in Hy-Vee Hall and MeLayna Budinich, a top 10 solo finalist, will perform at 9:27 a.m. in the Iowa Event Center Dec.1.