The Lake Forest Varsity Dance Team recently competed at UDA (Universal Dance Association) Chicagoland in Rosemont, Illinois. This competition is one the team competes in yearly. Attending this competition gives the team an opportunity to see their competitors for the first time in the season. This competition is especially important as it has a similar judging panel to UDA Nationals where the team will compete in Orlando, Florida this February.
A few days prior to UDA Chicagoland, the team had their annual winter showcase at LFHS where they performed both their jazz and pom dances for family, friends, alumni, and anyone who came to watch.
After their showcase and extensive winter break practices – where they dedicated four to eight hours each day to dancing – the team was eager to compete to showcase what they have been working on.
At this competition they competed their jazz and pom dance. Additionally, their jazz choreographer Ricky Ruiz came down to Rosemont to support the dancers, which gave them more motivation while performing.
“We all just wanted to make him proud and not only hit the skills that an audience is impressed by, but also complete all of the little elements and picture moments that he intentionally created,” said senior Dance Team member Ellery Newman. “Especially being on stage to make sure we can make his choreography and vision come alive.”
The team was so excited and grateful to be coming home with both 1st place for pom and 1st place for jazz, considering the fact that at this same competition a year ago – the dance team placed 4th in pom and 3rd in jazz.
“I think I can speak for the entire team when I say that winning first in both our dances is something much more significant than a ranking or trophy. It shows we have been recognized for the unbelievable amount of time and effort we have been putting into our team and how the sacrifices that we have been making are paying off,” said junior Dance Team member Lyla Carney. “While some may think winning first gives us some leeway in the upcoming weeks, it actually motivates us to work even harder to maintain what we have accomplished and to see our greatest potential.”
Not only did the team win both jazz and pom, but they were also given the Best Choreography Award for their jazz dance. This was a huge achievement for the team all thanks to jazz choreographer Ricky Ruiz, who was very proud of the performance the team had put on.
Additionally, the team was awarded the Paula Hess Memorial Award for their jazz dance. The team was tremendously honored to have been given this award and all it stands for.
This award honors Paula Hess and is given based on a performance that was emotionally moving to the judges while also having dancers give their all for a memorable performance.
Hess was a member of the committee that helped devise the IHSA state series for dance. Throughout her 43 years, Hess influenced a wide number of dancers, dance coaches and others in the dance community. She mentored dancers from Japan to the United Kingdom, and she connected with young dancers thanks to what people described as an “incredible openness.”
Hess also had an intimate relationship with the Lake Forest Dance Team over the years.
Varsity Dance Team Assistant Coach Ashley Nash said, “She was close friends with our long time choreographer, Lisa Anderson and was always present as a judge for tryouts, and consultant during comp season.”
Hess would visit practices yearly where she would help clean routines and provide countless coaching insights.
Nash said, “To say winning this award was special barely skims the surface. We are so proud and personally so touched to have this award as a part of this season.”
The Varsity Dance Team is so tremendously proud to have come back home from such a successful weekend, knowing that their hard work and dedication is being recognized.
This week the team will compete their pom dance at IHSA Conference this Tuesday and compete their jazz dance at IHSA Sectionals this Saturday.
