For most dancers at South, dance is either a school activity or a weekend endeavor, but for a few, it is both. Some choose to sacrifice most of their free time to show dedication to their sport, Elizabeth Nestos, De La Cru and Bhangra Beatz Sponsor, said.
Out of the 15 Bhangra Beatz dancers, 8 train at a studio outside of school, while about half of De La Cru’s 16 dancers also practice outside of school, Nestos said. Both dance groups are audition-based, meaning they dance at a high level.
Because dance is a high-commitment sport, those who dance in and outside of school have to put their sport over other things, such as spending time with family and friends, getting work done, or even resting, Nestos explained. But, without some of the dancers on the team spending more time dancing, advanced levels of dance in school groups would be nearly impossible to sustain, Nestos said.
“It’s all about the three S’s in my opinion—sacrifice, support, and structure,” Nestos said.
Even though these dancers dedicate most of their time to all things dance-related, they are still students, Nestos said. School can take up a lot of time, junior Abby Gartner, Titan Poms Dancer, especially if you are taking harder classes, Gartner said. Dancers like Gartner sometimes practice until 9 p.m, she said. Dancers’ schedules can be tight, especially when their school and studio teams are competing at the same time, Gartner added.
“Some pros of dancing both in and out of school are that you get more hours of practice, and that makes you more confident and helps you progress faster,” Gartner said. “The cons are that you have less free time and less time to do your homework.”
Usually, those who dance outside of school are the ones who become team captains for the school teams since they know how to prioritize their time and effort, Nestos said. Since these dancers spend more time dancing, they become more proficient dancers, allowsing these dancers to help lead practice and assist with choreography, senior Freya Pederson, Orchesis Dancer, said. Because they work in two environments simultaneously, they often develop the ability to be more adaptable in situations like auditions, when they are thrown into difficult situations, Gartner said. The leadership skills that dancers get from working in two environments at once leads them to expect a lot from themselves, and bring a different energy to dance that is very special, Nestos said.
“There is something special about a dancer’s heart,” Nestos said. “It is filled with joy, empathy, kindness, and an energy that I do not encounter all the time with kids that are not dancers.”