Dance team adds school spirit, fun to CMHS

By Jayvien Pearson Features and Entertainment Reporter And Hannah Stroh Editorial Assistant The below story is by Jayvien Pearson What the dance team brings to CMHS

The dance team brings life and school spirit to the school function.

The dance team performed four dances during the pep rally. They prepared by practicing very hard and long. 

The dance team performs at the pep rally. Photo by Nicole Lomax.

“As long as you have potential and work hard, everything will come together,” Nakayla Dawson said.

Also, the dance team’s dances were on point. Their facial expressions during their dances showed that they had put in the effort to perfect them.

“The most important thing when dancing is to make sure your facial cues are on point, energy, and practice the dances outside of school,” Zayjah O’Banner said.

There are many styles of dance to choose from, and everyone has their own preference. According to O’Banner, people’s favorite dance is the majorette because it’s different. 

The coaching on the team plays a big role in how the dance team operates.

“You have to be physically and mentally ready to push yourself and the rules will be strict,” O’Banner said.

There are many things that go into being a good dancer, but there are a few things to focus on if one wants to join the dance team. 

“As long as you work and continue to practice and put in work outside of school, you will see progress,” Nakayla Dawson said.

The dance team is a team sport that requires everyone to put in the work. Tiana Jones commented that a few critical things make for a strong team.

“The coaching and the choreography and how hard the girls apply themselves.”

The team goes on to do many performances outside of school, and even if the performance is okay, they still work hard. The dance team’s most recent performance was in Park Forest, where they formed a few dances.

“The performance in Park Forest, we did a few dances to Cardi B, was okay. We could’ve done better, but we are working hard to perfect our craft and get better,” Tajae Creal said.

The dance team doesn’t always just perform for people’s satisfaction and for the fun of it. It also has a competition in December and January. The dance team has specific ways to prepare and practice for the competitions. 

Creal said the most important thing when competition season starts is “to make sure you are practicing at home and stretching.” The below story is by Hannah Stroh What students enjoy about the dance team

The team practices Hip-Hop, Pom-Hop, and Jazz. Their main goal isn’t perfection; it’s to work hard and believe they can do it. The dancers have to believe it before they can conceive it. With this mindset and additional hard work, it will be theirs. The group works toward performing in competitions, where the teams are broken down by genre and compete to see who has the best routine in that category. 

“What I like most about coaching the dance team is watching the dancers develop and gain confidence about the new skills they have learned.  It is an expression of creativity, and I love watching the students using their creativity to make an award winning routine as well as collaborating and teaching each other,” Coach Brown said

Ms. Brown was a cheerleader throughout middle school and high school but did not make the team in college, leading her to join the dance team. She struggled with learning this new form of dance but eventually got better and better after each practice. So, as a result of that past, she decided to take the opportunity to create an alternative to cheer back in 2016. 

“I would say to join because it’s good to try new things, and you would probably really like it,” team member Jakiyah Mack said.

Mack joined the dance team this year with encouragement from her family. She decided to take part in the team to experience something new and make some new friends. So, she advises newcomers not to be afraid to try new things because if you try it, you may end up having fun. 

“You have to pay attention to the moves and choreography,” team member Ka’Lise Allen said. 

Allen joined the dance team as an alternative to the cheer team since she didn’t make the cheer team. She informs newcomers not to slack off since this will result in one not being caught up on what’s being taught.  

“Once I left school and started working at a school, I was approached by the principal asking if I would be interested in coaching dance with my background. Of course, I accepted, and I had a great group of kids that year,” Coach Brown said.