On February 11, 2023, the Central Dance Team competed at the state tournament in Springfield. The state tournament is the last meet of the dance season where teams from all across Illinois compete. About 140 teams from Illinois were competing, with nine or ten teams in their division.  

All of their hard work paid off and they ended up winning the state tournament. A few students who are on the team share their thoughts on this amazing accomplishment.  

“It was so surreal,” says senior Destiny Greer, who is on the team. Similarly, freshman Charlene Smith says, “It was a very emotional moment.” Along with the excitement that came with winning, there was also some shock and surprise behind it. “We had hope that we would win, but it was surprising just because this year is the first time in a long time that the Central dance team has been active,” Smith says. Junior Samantha Baker also shares an interesting thought, “I did not know if we would even make it to state, just because we were a new team starting from scratch.”

The dance team was led this year by Coach Lopez. Tryouts for football and basketball season took place in May, and the season officially started in October with performances at halftime at football games.  After the football season is over, all of the dancers try out again for competition season. They would have two-hour practices twice a week, and compete once or twice a month during competition season.  For their performances, they would dance to hip hop, lyrical, and jazz music. The team is very competitive, and Greer shares that she likes how it is “serious and fun at the same time”.

The dancers also shared how their strong team spirit contributed to their success. “Our team had a very close bond,” Smith says. “It started out a little rocky, but it all came together in the end.” Similarly, Greer says, “The way we all connected and our passion for dance helped us get to this point, and you could tell that every one of us was committed.” Coach Lopez also shares how their dedication and willingness to learn really helped to build their strong team spirit. “They had the fight in them,” she says. “They were prepared and ready.” She also shares how their dedication played a big part in getting them to this point. “A lot of kids on the dance team have never taken a dance class before, but many of them watch videos and practice outside of rehearsals.” Additionally, she shares how their ability to adapt and make changes to the routines very late in the season helped build their strong team spirit. “Their flexibility and determination were huge.”  Baker also shares how they used every competition and performance as a chance to get stronger. “I think our hard work definitely made a difference; we would take the critiques that the judges gave us and use that as a way to get stronger,” she says.

Winning state championships was both an exciting and bittersweet moment for the team.  Along with the excitement of winning came the sadness of the season being over.  Greer says, “At the end we were crying not only because we won, but also because it was the last meet of the season and therefore the last of our time together.”  Ending the season with this amazing accomplishment is a legacy that is hoped to be left behind. “I hope that it will make more people want to try out in the future,” Smith says. “It shows that anything is possible.”