Whether to relieve stress, compete, let go, or hold on, many South students find dance to be the outlet.

“I like the release of emotion that you get through dance, especially contemporary and modern, [. . .] and it’s so much fun getting to meet other people who dance,” junior Erika Petersen said.

Petersen has been dancing ever since her parents signed her up for ballet class 14 years ago. Another long-time dancer, junior Rosalie Mahler was introduced to dance in a similar way.

In fifth grade, Mahler started pointe dancing, and throughout the past five years, she’s started modern, contemporary and jazz dancing.

According to junior Bojana Galic, who does Serbian dancing, her parents were born in Serbia but moved to America. In an effort to hold on to their culture, Galic’s parents signed her up for Serbian dance classes when she was five.

“I really like the [Serbian] language and culture and just being able to hold onto my culture,” Galic said.

Other South dancers such as junior Annelise Potter, an Irish dancer, compete all over the country. Potter dances at the Mullane Healy Godley Academy which, according to Potter, attends numerous competitions, including the world championships over spring break.

“My main goal throughout my dancing career has been to compete for solos at the world championships and to get recall, which means to place in the top half,” Potter said.

Potter has been dancing since she was six. Looking back at the years, she explained how one of her greatest achievements was reaching the highest competition level her dance academy has to offer. She also earned the title as a national placeholder, as well as a midwest region placeholder.  Despite these accomplishments, Potter has her doubts about her future career.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to compete in college,” Potter said. “The competition is really hard, it’s a lot of practice and I definitely want to stay around dancing for the rest of my life and maybe get a teaching certificate, […] but I don’t know if I’d pursue a career in it.”

Another style of dance prevalent at South is Greek dancing. Juniors Katerina Economou, Anastasia Mourikes, Mariell Demertzis, Konstantina Chaniotakis, Stavroula Therios and freshman Pamela Haralampopoulos are all part of a Greek dance organization called The Orpheus Hellenic Folklore society.

“We are a part of a group called Nea Genia, which translates to New Generation, which is a dance group comprised of high school students from all around the Chicagoland area,” Economou said.

According to Therios, the group participates in numerous competitions, including a nation-wide competition several years ago where they won second place.

Sophomore Tessa Nesis also participates in competitive dancing. Nesis is involved in ballet, jazz, modern and pointe; however, she claimed that she is now concentrating less on competing and more on her technique.

“Dance is my passion – it makes my day amazing,” Nesis said. “It just makes me so happy that I can express myself in such a different way.”

Nesis dances every day, and has set high goals for herself.

“My aspirations are to be a professional dancer when I’m older because dance just makes me feel great, like I can conquer the world, and I love it,” Nesis said.

Junior Julia Jacobs may not be planning on becoming a professional dancer, but she claimed that she’ll probably minor in it in college. According to Jacobs, she has been dancing practically from the moment she was able to walk.

“I was a colicky baby – I would cry a lot,” Jacobs said. “And [my mother] would dance with me and I would stop crying, so she accredits [my love of dance] to herself. But I watch home videos [and] I was always dancing. It’s just what I like to do – it makes me happy.”

Sophomore Jex Philip, a hip hop dancer, also particularly appreciates the freedom of dance. Philip doesn’t attend a dance academy or any official groups. One of the only places he has ever performed outside his church was at South’s variety show with his brother.

“I like free-styling the most, just because you get the music on and just dance to it like there’s nothing to it [. . .] whereas when you choreograph a dance, you have to memorize it, and it takes time,” Philip said.

Senior Melanie McNulty, a hip hop, contemporary, and jazz dancer, as well as member of De La Cru has been dancing since the age of three.

According to McNulty, her greatest accomplishment is the growth of her choreography skills since freshman year, an achievement she accredits to being in De La Cru. As for the future, McNulty plans on becoming more flexible as a dancer and she hopes to minor in dance in college.

Freshman Julianne Arnold has not laid out specific plans for the future. She does know, however, that because of the way she feels when she dances, she wants to continue with it for a long time.

“I like being in the moment, and I think, for me, that dance is one of the biggest ways to let go [and] feel kind of free,” Arnold said.

Last year, in eighth grade, Arnold did a training program for dancers at the Joffrey Ballet which was three and a half hours every day after school.  Arnold admits to no longer having the time for something of that level of intensity. Instead, she now attends Foster dance studio in Evanston and practices three to six times a week.

“I want to continue with dance and just see how far I can take it,” Arnold said. “I want to do it for the rest of my life, because I love the freedom it gives me.”