Dance Season Continues On The Hill
• Dancers get ready to compete and have fun this year.
As January comes to a close, Peninsula High’s dance teams are looking to taste victory during competition season once again.
At the 2017-2018 USA Dance Nationals, hip-hop dance team COED Choreo triumphed with multiple first to third place trophies within both the varsity and junior varsity leagues. Peninsula’s Varsity Dance also swept the stage with assorted first to fourth place victories at the end of nationals.
For COED Choreo, this has been a transition year because former head coach Heather Horn passed the torch to Kimi Hendrick in July.
Moreover, Junior Varsity is under the guidance of a new coach, Danyel Moulton. There has also been the addition of a new varsity coach, Shigeto Nakano, who will work alongside the current coach, Leo Matsuyama.
With the transition in leadership, changes such as styles of dance and organizing traditional events, such as Camp COED, without the eye of Horn has been obstacles that the team has overcome. Now, these dancers are equipped with various sets such as Small, All-Female, All-Male, and Large to bring to the judges this season.
Varsity Dance has held this year close to heart, as the team may or may not continue next season. The team has comprised sets ranging in both size and styles, with a heavier emphasis on the jazz and lyrical categories.
The team’s most recent competition, at West Coast Elite in San Diego, garnered second, third and fourth place wins, kick-starting the competition season.
With practices five days a week, as well as morning training on late starts, these dancers have drilled multiple sets to surprise the judges in upcoming competitions. The teams are ready to walk on the stage with confidence in their craft and victory in mind.
