BSM Dance Team prepares for State Meet
After a Section Meet in which the team took first in Jazz and second in Kick, the BSM Dance Team is hoping to have just as much success, if not more, at the Class AA State Competiton.
The team is hoping to win Jazz and medal in Kick.
With what has been an incredible season, which included a Conference Championship, rst place at the Eastview Invitational, and success at Sections, the BSM varsity dance team is now preparing for the annual Class AA State Dance Meet.
The Section 2AA Meet, which was held in Big Lake, Minnesota, went extremely well for the Red Knights. “Sections went great. We got first place in Jazz and second in Kick, which means we qualified for State in both. We are really proud of how we danced,” junior captain Lauren Chevalier said.
Sweetening their success was their victory in Jazz over one of their biggest competitors. “We finished ahead of Totino-Grace, one of our biggest competitors, in Jazz, which is always good and helps our confidence,” senior captain Megan Olk said.
After grueling practices all season, the team felt their hard work paid off and were happy with their performance as a whole. “There were no major mistakes, and we got really good scores. It was also really fun to perform with each other,” Chevalier said.
Even though the team was happy with their performances in Sections, they know there are still a few improvements to be made. “We just need to nail the small details. Our coaches like to say ‘we have the big picture down’ so now it is just about perfecting the little things,” Olk said.
To help perfect every aspect of their dances, the team is practicing every day and working on conditioning. “There will be a lot of practice every single day, and we will be eating healthy as well. Exercise on the weekends, really working to improve not only the routines but our fitness also,” Chevalier said.
Specific training will include minor tweaks to the routines and step-by-step run-throughs of the routine. “We are making a few more changes, and just a lot of run throughs, count-by-count, making sure everyone is on beat and on the same page, because the more together we are the better our scores will be,” Olk said.
Once the routines are close to flawless, the team feels the final step to success is just keeping calm and performing. “We need to put a little more performance into our dance. Some of us get nervous before we perform, so we need to work on calming the nerves and really being collected while dancing,” Chevalier said.
Between the training and already well-rehearsed routines, the team has high expectations for State. “We would love to win Jazz and medal in Kick, which we have never done before,” Olk said.
The team knows this is possible as long as everyone stays focused and confident. “We are all really determined to achieve our goals so we hope everyone will stay focused and positive,” senior captain Ava Smithmier said.
We just need to nail the small details. Our coaches like to say ‘we have the big picture down’ so now it is just about perfecting the little things
— Megan Olk
The State Meet, just like Sections, will include the Jazz and Kick competitions, but the atmosphere is much different from any other meet. “It feels five times the size of a regular competition, and there are a lot more lights and it can be stressful. It matters the most, so there is a lot of pressure, but it is also a lot of fun and a great bonding experience. It is what we have been working towards the whole year and you get to see all the practice pay off,” Chevalier said.
No matter how the meet goes, the team has built an unbreakable bond, not only as teammates, but as friends as well. “Every year the team has been a little different because new people come and go, but all in all it has been a good experience because I have become close with my teammates and have made great friends,” Smithmier said.
