The school’s varsity dance team prepared for their homecoming football game halftime show, arguably the biggest performance of the season, on Oct. 17. After a day filled with classes and practice, over 100 dancers from the junior varsity and varsity teams performed at the JV and varsity football games that night.
The team wore their spirit jersey shirts with last names printed on the back to school, representing the performance that was about to happen later in the evening.
“Wearing our spirit shirts to school always adds extra excitement throughout the day,” Ella Kaplan (12), spirit captain of the varsity hip-hop team, said.
Every game day, when 1:05 p.m. rolls around, lunch practice begins.
“Before we start doing practice, we always play old songs and sets that we used to dance to, we all play around and do all the old dances.” Caitlyn Van Hoose (12), captain of the varsity hip hop team, said. “Our team truly has a great bond, and I really think it shows in our performances.”
After school, the junior varsity team heads back to the dance room.
The teams began preparing for the halftime performance in August, learning the dance as separate teams. Then, they had a two-week period of combined practices to perfect it and learn various formations.
Between the JV and varsity games, the teams practice, fuel up with food and then “do groups”: The team splits into groups based on grade and each group performs the halftime show in front of the rest of the team.
“Groups are really fun because we all get to hype each other up,” Van Hoose (12) said. “We get in each other’s faces, screaming, yelling, cheering each other on. It’s just such a good community environment.”
Since the theme for Friday’s game was “Neon Out,” dancers decked themselves in neon face paint, neon wristbands and fun socks. For every themed game, the dancers match the theme the best they can while still wearing their jerseys and black leggings.
“As a parent, it’s so special to watch, knowing it’s a night the dancers will always remember,” Kelsey Stallings, Dance Team Liaison, said. “With both the varsity and JV hip hop teams performing together, more than 100 dancers lit up the field at halftime in a truly unforgettable performance! It was such a fun experience for the teams to prepare side by side, creating memories and strengthening the bonds that make the Torrey Pines Dance Team so special.”
