The dance team is new to South this year. After their first public performance at the varsity football game this past Friday, Sept. 7, the team is already gaining a lot of popularity and positivity from their peers.

“I think that (the team) brings a huge opportunity to dancers,” coach Adam Gapczynski said.

The dance team allows those who practice dance to become recognized as athletes and experience a team sport at school, according to Gapczynski.

So far, Gapczynski is pleased with what the dance team has done and saw their first performance as a big accomplishment for the team.

“Having the girls go out there and do their best and not fall and make mistakes is a big deal,” Gapczynski said.  “Getting out in front of your peers and dancing is a much bigger challenge than most people can grasp and for them to go out and dance, I’m really proud of how they did it.”

The dance team has 17 girls and two main performance pieces that are ready to be performed.

Raegan Rybicki ’21, captain of the dance team, is excited for the opportunities to come with this new team.

“Usually dancers don’t get to do stuff at their schools, so it’s really cool to get to do it at South,” Rybicki said. “Being a part of a team is really fun.”

This fall season, the dance team will be performing at the home football games, including the homecoming football game, and will have their first competition performance at Dakota High School on Nov. 3.

“That’ll kind of be the first competition performance that we’ll get to do and we’re actually pretty excited about it ” Gapczynski said.

The competition is part of a company called Dance Team Union.

“It’s kind of an up-and-coming organization, so we are pretty stoked that it fit into our schedule,” Gapczynski said.

The dance team not only has a competition aspect, but it also allows those who have previous dancing backgrounds to come together and share their love for the sport.

“I joined the dance team because it’s a great way to combine my love for dance and being involved in the school,” team captain Tori Huffman ’20 said.

So far those who are involved with the dance team have not only gotten to work on their dance moves, but also form new bonds with others on the team.

“It’s great to be together outside of school or at the studio,” Huffman said. “Dancing together is really nice.”

The dance team is made up of experienced girls who have practiced dance since they were young.

“I started dancing when I was two years old and I danced at a different studio for a couple of years,” Rybicki said.

Gapczynski has many goals in mind about what he wants the team to accomplish this year.

“We want people to be impressed and talk about it (the team) and say that (their performance) was pretty good and a lot of fun,” Gapczynski said.

As for the future of the team, those who joined it this year are optimistic about what the team will do in the years to come and hope that the team will prove to be successful and popular among students who both enjoy and practice dance.

“Hopefully people will really like the team and get excited about the fun performances we do,” Rybicki said.  

Edit: Tori Huffman ’20 was not originally recognized as a team captain. According to Coach Adam Gapczynski, all the dancers on the team are not new to dance. Each member is experienced with dance and has previously trained at a separate studio within the Metro-Detroit area before the dance team was established. Edited 9/18/18 at 1:57 pm.