The Rancho Cucamonga High School dance team competed in the Maxt Out Dance Competition on Saturday, Nov. 17 in Glendora. After preparing for the competition for months, the Varsity dance team took first place in the competition for the third year in a row. The junior varsity dance team earned second place out of 15 schools.
“I felt we were prepared because we have been working really hard for a really long time,” senior Sophia Barak said. “I felt really proud of us because we put in a lot of long hours. I felt like we really stepped it up and our energy was a whole different level and just being there as well as the adrenaline being constant with us.”
To help prepare for the competition, the dance team had extra practices and strict rehearsals on Mondays through Thursdays from after school until 5 p.m. Dance teacher Ms. Larina Vessup said that the team put in a lot of effort and had to make sacrifices to make the competition a reality.
“Prior to going to the competition, we talked about the uphill climb and the sacrifices it would take to get there, and I am clear to them that going to the competition is optional,” Vessup said. “It is a choice. If we do choose to go to the competition, then we are in it together and we all have to do our part to make this a successful, challenging, and positive experience.’’
Vessup said that every dancer had to agree to the commitment of a competition before the team signs up.
“It is tense almost every day [leading up to the competition],” Vessup said. “We go over and over sections of our dance, arm by arm, fixing every finger; it is tedious and stressful. As competition approaches, I become stricter in class and push my students as hard as they will allow me to push.’’
While preparing for the competition, the team had to work together to practice and rehearse.
“We’ve had multiple practices after school in preparation. It’s definitely more demanding than preparing for a dance show because competition is so different compared to it but it is a lot of fun seeing it all come together,’’ senior Aya Dayos said.
The Rancho Cucamonga High School dance team will perform on December 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. ‘’I think many dancers had a lot of doubt when learning this piece.’’ Said Vessup. Many changes and adjustments had to be made within this dance in order for the dancers to feel comfortable with what they were performing. Although a few select dancers have lingering thoughts about how they could have done better or made a bigger improvement, ultimately they had trust within their team and all dancers were able to build off of each other.
‘’I always think my students need improvement.’’ Said Vessup. While teachers tend to find small improvements that could have been made, that meant that the performance did so well that she had to focus on miniscule details in order to find anything that was not deemed as perfect. But after each performance and efforts that her students put in, she still remains proud of them, especially since she was able to see and guide their progress to where her students stand now.
‘’After the performance, I felt tired, but invigorating and confident.’’ Said senior Jacob H. At length, the students would not have chosen to not go to competition because then they would not have seen their full potential when under some pressure and being able to showcase their skills and talent. However, what truly enhanced that was the reliance upon their team. They believed and had faith in their teams’ skills, that they were able to succeed further.
