Dance team gets in step for a new season
From Billy Joel to techno music, girls on the Brainerd Warriors dance team will be dancing their hearts out this season.
The dance team will kick off its 2005-06 season as special guests performing in the annual Just For Kix Holiday Show Saturday at the Brainerd High School. The holiday show is the team's first major event for the season and it is its main fund-raiser. All the proceeds of the event will go to the high school dance team.
The first invitational will be Monday in Alexandria. It is a mock conference meet and all the dance teams in the Central Lakes Conference will compete, including St. Cloud Tech, St. Cloud Apollo, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, Fergus Falls and Willmar.
Brainerd Kixters Taylor Rozinka (foreground) and Jessica Noonkesser practiced their routine Monday at Brainerd High School. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
Head Coach Cindy Clough said, "I feel the kids are already working well together and they are fun to work with. I'm not pulling them to work, they are pushing me."
Clough said there are 36 girls on the varsity team, which includes 13 seniors. On the junior varsity team there are 26 dancers. Captains this year are seniors Jessica Forstner, Taylor Thompson and Ashley Sliver.
In high kick, the team will perform to "Play this Record," a mix of techno music.
In jazz, the team is working on a routine from "Movin' Out," which is a new musical based on Billy Joel's music. Clough said about a dozen girls will compete in jazz.
The junior varsity team will dance to "Forever Together," a techno routine.
If you go
Who: Just For Kix and the Brainerd Warrior dance team.
What: Annual Just For Kix holiday show.
When: 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for students and free for children 5 and younger.
Clough said the biggest challenge the dance team faces in high kick this season is endurance.
"We have a four-minute dance and (they) need to have as much energy at the end of the performance as they have in the beginning," said Clough. "We also are working on flexibility, timing, fine tuning the choreography and editing the music so it is just right."
Clough said the team also is working on choreography, which was scored lower than usual last year.
Last year the Brainerd dance team took sixth place at state in high kick and qualified for finals. The jazz team placed seventh at sections last year and did not advance to state.
JENNIFER STOCKINGER can be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.