The winter formal pep rally features a standout partner dance that challenges expectations, bringing boys not enrolled in the dance program into a high-energy routine of lifts and choreography.
Each year the seniors on San Juan Hills High School’s dance team choose a partner to dance with in the winter formal pep rally. This is a special way to honor the seniors and their time in the dance program.
”We have one month, exactly,” said Tyler Presser (12), senior dance team member Sienna Hardin’s (12) partner, to master the pep rally routine with complicated lifts and partnerwork.
”She gave it all to us in the span of two days, and then it was winter break so we had that time to figure it out,” said Hardin, who is in Advanced Dance.
These partners learned the routine during winter break and have been practicing in the gym at lunch with the help of our dance teacher, Kristine Calder. They learned the dance quickly, and have had the rest of the time in between learning and performing it to get it into muscle memory.
The partnerwork is no walk in the park. It is a one minute routine of lifts and tricks, making it physically demanding and mentally challenging to remember each step.
“Not messing it up under pressure,” is the hardest part of dancing in the pep rally, said Presser.
While the pressure may be intense, the guys that joined the dance team for the pep rally have excelled in executing it.
“It’s hard because we have never done these lifts before, so teaching people is difficult,” said Sophia Loftus (12), another senior on Advanced Dance whose partner is Chase Vargas (12).
Calder choreographed the entire pep rally, including the partner section, and the students are held accountable for knowing and practicing it. The majority of guys in the routine do not have prior dance experience, so for many, the hardest part has been learning and remembering the steps.
Despite the short time these students have to learn the routine, every year this partner section is the highlight of the pep rally because the entire school has people to cheer for on and off of the dance team.
After performing at the pep rally, the partners must remember the routine to perform it at the end of the year dance show, Choreographer’s Ball. The hard work these partners have put into the routine is worth commemorating. If you are unable to watch the winter formal pep rally in the gym, come to the dance show in May to watch these partners shine on stage.
From the field or gym to the stage, each year the guys that participate in the pep rally make it memorable for all.
