Adaptability

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." -Charles Darwin
         This quote does not just pertain to life, it also pertains to dancers in a way. Competitive dancers are continuously changing the venues they perform and compete in, the floors and surfaces they create art on, and the shoes and costumes they wear while doing what they are passionate about. This is four things a dancer must adapt to very quickly in order to perform and compete at the top of their game. Even some of the most amazing dancers have trouble figuring out how to adapt, it is one of the things that separate great dancers from amazing dancers.
           You may think a venue or the area the dancer is performing in shouldn't change how they perform very much, and usually it doesn't but there are occasions when it does. The lighting in every place is different as well as the coloring of walls, and structure, size, and many more things. This could throw off a dancers spot while they are turning, and spotting is one of the most important parts about turning, without it turning would be nearly impossible. Also it could be distracting towards the dancer, hindering their performance. If a dancer is great they will be able to fully be in the moment in their piece despite any distractions. The most difficult thing about the change in venue would be the stage or performance area size. This could mess with formations, and even affect how big a dancer dances.
           The hardest thing to adapt to is the floor, or surface you are dancing on. Most dancers have a preference on what type of floor they like best, slippery, sticky, in between. Well to their disadvantage every floor will be different. The most common type of surface to dance on at competitions is Marley because you can purchase floor mats of them to place over whatever the stages surface is. I think that Marley is the perfect floor but that is because it is what I usually practice on. Another set back is that most dancers always dance while they are practicing on the same type of floor so it is hard for them to figure out how to use more control on slippery floor and push harder but not look spastic on sticky floor.
             Shoes are not as much of an issue really because you generally wear what the instructor or choreographer asks but usually that's what you practice in, or sometimes they will even ask for input. The last thing is costumes. sometimes costumes restrict movement, but hopefully with a quick run through you can make adjustments and figure it out. Also there is usually time for alterations to help make this process easier.
           As you see, dance is probably more difficult than you think; and ability to adapt makes all the difference.

Talent over Appearnce

"A healthy outside starts from the inside." -Robert Urich 

Going to watch a ballet can be a magical thing. The dancing, music, costuming, and partnering all perfectly fit together. What more could a little girl want to see? Another thing you might notice while you are at the ballet is that most ballerinas are very fit, and very skinny. 

Many young dancers really look up to and admire these professional ballerinas and strive to be exactly like them. This can cause some very bad habits in young dancers. What some of these young dreamers don't realize is that by cutting their portions by a great amount or ceasing eating as a whole also is cutting their energy supply. 

Dancers exert so much energy every rehearsal because they are utilizing every single muscle in their bodies in multiple ways. This obviously burns hundreds of calories every rehearsal so it is very important to replenish your body once you are done and have enough fuel in your body before you start. If you fail to meet your bodies needs and don't have enough fuel in you, you will not be able to perform at the best of your abilities. 

So for people attempting to become like the very tiny ballerinas shorting themselves of food only makes the journey harder because they won't be reaching their full potential. However, something they can do is eat the right things to give them a surplus of energy and is still healthy. Some examples are fruits, vegetables, nuts, these won't pass for a whole meal but they are good sides or snacks. 

By eating the right things it allows the dancer to work towards obtaining the figure and look of the idolized ballet dancers but also allows them enough energy to work at their full potential. What most of them don't realize is that the talent is more important and will over ride the body type. So if you are aspiring to become a ballerina or get into a ballet school, focus on your talent and not your appearance because talent is what will take you far.

Don't Skip the Little Things

"Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it." -anonymous
As the winter months are coming and the snow and cold are settling in many peoples motivations are sliming. However, this is not acceptable for dancers, mediocrity should never be acceptable by anyone but especially not by a dancer. This means still working hard in rehearsal and eating healthy outside of it as well; but it also means not getting lazy on the little things.
This may seem pea sized in the scheme of things but it is very important in the winter months to wear the proper attire in correlation to the weather, especially while warming up and going in and out of where ever you are rehearsing. This may seem like a waste of time but it can be saving you from an avoidable injury, and prevent excruciating pain. No dancer wants a pulled muscle or to be extremely sore and a common reason for both of these two is not having your muscles warmed up properly.
 If you walk outside in the cold your muscles tense up in order to try to warm you up, this is bad for when you go to stretch. Wearing pants and a coat is always a must on the chilly, frosty days of the winter. Just because it takes an extra thirty five seconds to put these necessities on is not an excuse what so ever for not doing it. Rehearsals can be long and tiring or you may be running late but both of these situations are better than having a pulled muscle and being injured.
Another crucial thing to do once jack frost has arrived is you must make sure you stretch good enough that you wont hurt yourself. Stretching your regular amount will not cut it and do it justice. These little things all add together to make sure you are taking care of your body the best way you possibly can. So, make sure you don't skip the little things because in the long run those little things could lead to a big injury.

Kennedy Dance Team

Kennedy Varsity Dance Team is a group of twenty high achieving academic leaders and dancers that attend Kennedy High School. All of these girls strive for excellence, so along with that they are some of Kennedy's hardest workers.
The girls practice and compete all year round; starting in May of the year before and go all the way through March. They have two competition dances they learn in May and those are their main dances that they work on and precisely clean and take to competition; but they also learn probably close to at least twenty five more dances through out the year. The team dances at football games, basketball games, pep assemblies and compete locally and in other states as well.
Most of the girls are some of Kennedy's best and brightest, ranking at the tops of their classes. They have won the highest GPA out of Kennedy's girls athletics in 2014 along with the highest GPA out of all of the high school dance teams in the state of Iowa, which is over two hundred and seventy teams. Not only do these girls get good grades in the class room, but they also score high at competitions. The Kennedy Dance Team was regional champions in Pom and Jazz in the 2014-2015 regional dance competition, and gets a bid to nationals every single year.
Another impressing thing about these dance team girls is that a majority of them are also involved in other sports, and clubs at Kennedy and do club sport activities outside of school. Not only are these girls very involved in their school, they also do a lot of things out in the community. A number of the girls participate in America Reads day at surrounding elementary schools, and the team has help motivate the Ragbrai riders this summer. A favorite of many is the kid's clinics that they hold for kindergarten through fifth grade. They teach them a dance, give them pizza, and at the end of the night have a performance to show their parents all they have learned during that fun filled night.
The girls are always giving back and representing their school in the best of ways and still little to none come to support them at their local competitions. That doesn't seem to stop them, for the past few years they have dominated the more local dance competitions, even without support and motivation from their peers. Hopefully in the future Kennedy's Jungle will be spotted cheering for them too.

Rest is Important

"Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You can not serve from an empty vessel." -Eleanor Brownn

      Dance is a very time consuming activity and sport, and it is also very tiring. A lot of dancers over work themselves and don't realize till it might be a little too late. It's very hard to take off time. 

I can speak to this topic from experience. I am generally a very healthy high schooler I rarely get sick but this fall was rough for me. I got to go to the doctors office every two weeks from October 2nd till November 2nd. This was during the busiest time of the year for me since my team was preparing for the high school dance team state competition. 

      My life is crazy busy between show choir dance team and studio dance so when I was tired all the time for four weeks I didn't really think much of it at first. After four weeks of this feeling I made my first trip to the doctors office. I tested positive for walking pneumonia. Now this is were I needed to take a break and slow down, rest and get better, but I thought by resting I would let my team down. What I didn't realize was by not resting I was letting my team down. 

       I had to go on four different antibiotics through out two months to beat the walking pneumonia. That was two more months of me being fatigued all the time. 

       I thought pushing through it would help my team be better but it wasn't the case at all. I just made myself get worse and not be at my top ability for a longer amount of time. I was healthy for about two weeks, or so I thought I was. Then the week of state I felt worse than ever so I got to make another trip to the doctors office. Yes, I was sick again with strep throat two days before the state competition. 

       Now I realize that if I would have rested and slowed down at the beginning I wouldn't have gotten so sick in the end. So dancers, it is ok to take time to rest and get better, the healthy you is going to be so much more helpful for your team than you are when you are sick. Nearly two months later I finally am realizing what it's like to actually feel healthy again and I regret putting my self through all of that trouble and awful feeling just because I was to scared to rest and take time to get healthy. 

Opinion Sport

"Don't waste your energy trying to change opinions. Do your thing, and don't care if they like it." -Tina Fey

           In most sports there is generally a clear winner, or a stronger team, and they score the most points to win the game or get the fastest time in their race. Dance however is not this way. Dance is an opinion sport and this is what makes it so difficult. You will never be able to read a judges mind and know what they are looking for or what they like. 

           Some judges look for showmanship and passion while others look for technique. 

Some like over done faces and others like suttle ones. Some judges like busy dances with a bunch of little groups while others like clean together unison dances.

           You can spend hours on hours perfecting your performance and your technique and even be the most amazing dancer in the area but maybe the judge doesn't like your song, or your costume, or just your choreography in general. No matter what you do, you can never be sure. 

           Because you can't control what others think of your dance, all you can do it execute it well. The most important thing is making people believe you love doing that dance piece. If you love it there is a better chance that the judges will love it as well. It's refreshing to see someone dance and perform and be able to tell that they love it. Also if you are 100% there in the moment in your dance people will probably be 100% in the moment in the dance with you. If you can get an audience to move with you and feel something then that should be rewarding enough. 

What dancers don't always realize is that a trophy, medal, or plaque doesn't matter, what matters is knowing you left it all on the floor and you did everything you could do to perform and dance at the best of your abilities. 

           If you don't place with the rating, or score you hoped, dreamed, and worked for then all you can do is practice and work for the next one because a dancers work is never done. Take the judges corrections to heart and adjust things accordingly but don't let them get in your head and or take them personally because judges comments are just suggestions. Always remember there's always the next one and there is always room for improvement.

State

          This Thursday and Friday were the long awaited days of many high school and college dance teams in the state of Iowa. It was the annual state dance team competition, that over two hundred and seventy high school dance teams participated in. Iowa has the largest state dance team competition in the nation, with two hundred and seventy high school teams and twenty five colleges, so the stakes are high and everyone has their end result on their mind. 

          Teams are allowed to compete 3 routines and there are endless amounts of categories such as military, hoopla, coed, production, lights, and the most popular Pom, lyrical, jazz, and hip hop.

The Kennedy dance team participated in this state competition just like they do every year, but this year they were even more excited than years past. They have the largest team they have had in many years. They left on Thursday night shortly after school. On Thursday at school they had the winter pep assembly where they performed their jazz routine for their student body of over two thousand. This was in preparation for the weekend and to show the school all they had been working towards. Many staff members and students reported back to the dance team that they believed it was the best jazz routine they have seen from the Kennedy dance team in many years. 

         Kennedy dance team is usually known for their upbeat hard hitting Pom routines. So, at the state competition they competed their two routines Pom and jazz. 

The Kennedy high school dance team performed at 1:30 and 6:40 awards were shortly after where they received division one ratings in both dances and placed sixth in both routines as well. This is a huge accomplishment considering they are in the top divisions for both of their routines due to the enormous amount of kids that attend their high school. 

         The dance team has had such a great season so far, but they are not done yet, they will be defending their title as regional champions in Pom and jazz and the UDA regional dance competition at the Mall of America in January. Believe me, they will be stronger than ever for this competition to show everyone this is their best year yet.