Dance has always been an exceptional program for GPHS. The team brings energy and support for our athletic sport performances. There are many appreciative families and children in our community that go to games just to see the dance performances. Our dance team brings their all to everything, by bringing commitment and energy to every performance! We truly appreciate all that they do for us, because we know that it takes time and focus. Tryout week for this successful team is March 24-28. As tryout week is almost here let’s take a look into how their seasons went and what’s to come!

The dance team is an all year round commitment and as their season almost comes to an end they perform one last time at state in Hutchinson, March 14 at 8 p.m. The dance team is always trying to give their community the best performance they can. As a member of the dance team I can fully attest to that. I was a sophomore this past year. We practiced mostly everyday before school to perfect our routines to the best of our abilities. Practices do get tiring especially when you have other activities going on. My schedule will sometimes consist of 5:45 a.m. practice, followed by school, and then an evening practice of an in-season sport. The whole dance team has a very busy schedule but with each other we always push through and help each other out. 

Our team has truly grown together and we have been led by amazing seniors, one of which is Jaden Stuhlsatz. Jaden shared experiences that made this year successful, “Dance camp made this year successful. We learned so many new skills that allowed us to bring new techniques to our dances. Dance camp also brought us closer as a team, which made morning practices way more enjoyable!” Jaden also shared some advice for any new coming dancers, as she stated, “STAY CALM, it’s a very stressful week, and you are going to feel overwhelmed. However, remember that you don’t have to nail everything. The judges are looking for effort, not perfection!” 

Dance has lots of memorable moments but Jaden had one specific one in mind, “The ice cream they served my freshman year at dance camp. I ate so much if it! I even remember calling my parents to tell them how good it was.” Next she noted what you can gain from going out for dance and stated, “Girls should try out for dance strictly for the self-confidence it gives you!” You need to be committed to be a part of the dance team but you also need some skills to help you succeed, as Jaden claimed, “1) Positive attitude – it might sound basic, but a good mood goes a long way at 6 a.m. 2) Understanding – always being there for your teammates. 3) Passion for self growth – you need to be willing to improve your skill set so the team as a whole can improve.”

I also spoke to Brianna Puetz, who is the coach of the GPHS dance team. Bri does so much for our team, and she is greatly appreciated by all of us dancers. We truly wouldn’t be where we are in our program if it wasn’t for her. 

Bri spoke about the team this previous year and what her expectations for the future are. Bri expresses the successes of this year, “One of the biggest things that made this year successful was the senior leadership. Our four seniors this year: Aubrey, Kora, Lyndsee, and Jaden were the backbone of our team! They started the dance season off with an attitude of wanting to make this dance season the best yet and it was just that! We also really improved our choreography and our routines were better than ever! Every girl came to practice ready to work and ready to make each dance like it was their last.” Bri was then asked what were some of the unsuccessful parts of the season, “This question is truly hard for me to answer because I wouldn’t say this season was unsuccessful at all. I will say there were challenges that presented themselves such as having to relearn and choreograph a dance last minute. When we had short notice of a game being added as well, or those times when life got in the way and it made those early morning practices every day really tough…but the girls always pushed through!” 

Next, she then expressed what she was proud of her team for, “It’s so hard to choose just one thing I am proud of our dance team for, so I’m going to list a couple. I am proud of their passion and energy! Everyone always comes up to me with such praise and admiration for our dance dance team. They often ask me how they are so good. I always tell them it’s because of their passion and desire to want to be the best! All of them truly love being on the dance team and that makes a difference. I am also proud of the respect and kindness they show each other. Every dancer on the team has each other’s back, but also will do anything they need to in order to push one another toward our goal. Finally, I am just proud of how serious they take our performances and at the same time how much fun they have while performing. They just truly outshine all other dance teams!” 

Some of Bri’s expectations for tryout week are, “I am so excited for your week to be here soon! I am most looking for the energy and passion to stay alive even though we will be having four strong seniors leaving. The girls that will be trying out again are all strong as well, and I am so pumped for them to bring that same energy and passion to the new girls trying out. I am wanting the new dancers to try out to feel welcomed and for everyone to learn something new. Make new friends and connections with each other. I want this tryout week to be a great kickoff to the new season, no matter what the outcome is!”

To conclude, Bri shares what could make this upcoming year even more successful, “I think this year it would be great to be even MORE focused at practice and to stay on task. It’s really easy to get off task when everyone is so close to one another already and loves to have fun. I also would love to continue to improve our choreography in form of levels, in formations, and energy.Lastly, I want there to be energy and positivity in every practice and performance day. If we can all be positive and caring for one another, we will be unstoppable!” Dance is a year-long commitment that doesn’t end until tryout week comes up.

So this season isn’t quite over yet as they perform at Hutch for the 3A State Basketball tournament on March 14. So come support them before the seniors graduate and a new season begins. Overall you can see that the dance team had an amazing year and plans to have an even better upcoming season!