Kennedy Dance Team competed at the Iowa State Dance Team Association (ISDTA) State Dance Championships on Dec. 1. The girls competed in class 15A with their pom routine and class 7A with their jazz routine. Freshman Elle Rammeslburg performed her solo in class 11A amongst nine other dancers.
Five Kennedy soloists started their season at state qualifiers where the rest of their team supported them. They all received division one ratings and Rammelsburg advanced to state, placing in the top ten.
The team then competed against other teams and soloists at the Lion Lineage Dance Competitions on Nov. 4. The girls placed second in jazz and third in poms out of four teams. Rammelsburg placed first in the 9-10 grade division and had the highest point total of the day.
On Nov. 11, the team competed at Stack the Stands, placing first in jazz out of three and third in poms out of eight. In the ninth grade division Rammeslburg placed fourth. In the eleventh grade division Mackenzie Greer placed tenth and Katelyn Anderson placed fifth. In the twelfth grade division Lilly Newhouse placed ninth and Aubrey Wolf placed eigth.
“After performing pom, running off the stage and not being able to breathe is a highlight. It’s a highlight to know you and your team’s hard work paid off, even the 6 a.m. practices,” senior Breighan Wolrab said.
Last year at state the dance team received division one ratings with both routines. They placed eighth in poms, tying with Cedar Rapids Prairie, and sixth in jazz and lyrical. None of the soloists that competed placed.
“I had several other coaches tell me that Kennedy looked better than they ever have seen in previous years and that just added to how proud I was of our girls,” coach Courtney Kalb said.
This year the team’s routines received division one ratings with both dances, earning an average of 80 points or higher. Their jazz routine placed top five out of nine while Rammelsburg placed sixth out of ten with her solo at state.
“Placing fifth in jazz is the best we have done in the past three years so we are very proud of that placement,” Kalb said.
Kalb was proud of the team’s performance over state weekend. Not only does the placement show how well the team did but the actual score sheets.
“Most divisions have around 30 points between 1st place and last place,” Kalb said. “Our pom and jazz categories were separated by about 10 points total, which is so tight, and shows the talent we were up against.”
The team competes in the highest and one of the largest divisions which is very competitive. They competed against ten other teams in pom and eight in jazz.
“Overall I thought the team left everything on the floor and I was extremely proud of how we performed our routines and that is the most important thing,” Kalb said. “To walk away from state and feel like the team gave everything regardless of how the judges scored it.”
The team’s season ends with half-time performances, pep assemblies, and Universal Dance Association Regionals in Chicago, Illinois in early January.
