Coach Adam Gap, has been working with this team for the past six years and said there is a lot more that comes to this dance team than just performing at football games.
“Although many people think we only perform at halftime, we always compete in various competitions for the second part of the season,” Gap said.
As the team transitions into the competitive part of their season, the intensity of their practices remains the same, but the style of dances they perform changes.
“We continue to do the hip hop and pom that you see at halftime shows, but also add a lyrical dance,” Gap said. “We started to perform pom last year because all of our dancers have jazz experience, which makes learning it easier.”
The season begins in August, amidst scorching days, and goes until December, when the cold weather sets in. This is a longer season than most fall sports at South, but captain Bella Leonard ’24 says she enjoys having competitions in the second half of their season as they are a greater challenge than the halftime show and the sidelines performances, offering a change to the usual routine.
“As a captain, I feel it is very important to make sure I stay motivated and always put 100 percent effort into every practice and performance,” Leonard said. “Competition days can be long, but with a team like ours, the energy of just one person can ignite the entire team’s enthusiasm and push them to dance with everything they’ve got.”
Although being able to perform in front of your peers is such a special and gratifying experience, Leonard says there is just a different feeling you get when competing in front of judges.
“Everyone comes together and collectively tries their hardest,” Leonard said. “You can feel the positive energy while you dance and it makes the performance so much better.”
While Audrey McLean ’27 has never performed on a stage with the Blue Devils dance team, she has competed with her studio, Kercheval Dance, numerous times and is very excited to be able to have the opportunity to do the same with her teammates at South.
“We will be able to bond more as a team since we spend the whole weekend together,” McLean said. “It will also be fun to receive awards compared to just performing.”
Gap says this is one of the most supportive groups of girls South Dance has had, and as a freshman on the team, McLean feels the same way.
“I always feel so included and proud of the work we do,” McLean said. “The captains and the other girls are all so nice, which makes dancing feel so comfortable.”
