Fremd Dance placed sixth out of the 74 class 3A teams at IHSA state this year, a continuation of last year’s success.
During the competitive dance season, teams have three to four weeks to choreograph, learn, and prepare their routines. Each routine lasts about two to three minutes and can consist of any style. This year, Fremd competed with two routines, one jazz, and one lyrical. Three to five judges score them out of 100 points for choreography, musicality, difficulty, technique, synchronization, staging and spacing, and showmanship. Fremd scored a 93.48, just 3.66 points shy of 1st place Lake Park High School.
The first day of the tournament was rocky for Fremd. After only practicing on a gym floor, they now had to adjust to a Marley floor, a type of traditional dance studio floor. The texture and lines of a Marley floor are different, which can present challenges with spacing, among other things.
Head coach Erin Kelly comments on the rough start.
“Day one, we had some, just flukes, ultimately,” Kelly said. “That’s really the only word I can think of, just some strange things happened that hadn’t happened all season, and that made us feel like, ‘oh my god, did we even make it to day two?’”
The Vikings ended up qualifying and placed fifth out of thirty that day. The second and final day of the tournament was a much better performance as the team was accustomed to the new environment.
Senior choreography and technique organizer Angela Giustino reflects on the feeling before going on stage.
“There’s a sense of anxiety,” Giustino said. “But, during that moment, the song we warm up to every practice played right before we went on. It was just a coincidence and that moment was like this is our sign. This is our moment. Let’s go.”
It did end up being their moment, and Fremd beat their score from last year.
The journey to sixth place wasn’t easy though, and Giustino mentions that the team struggled with certain skills.
“I would say the biggest challenge for our routine this year was our turns,” Giustino said. “More than that, I think the fact that our routine was just so fast-paced in comparison to others, especially, really demonstrated and exemplified our athleticism, but at the same time, it was definitely one of our biggest challenges.”
In the end, the team put in the extra hours to perfect their routine. Junior choreography and technique organizer leader Caroline Mahdik talks about the importance of teamwork.
“As time went on, we became more cohesive and learned to work together and push each other when we needed it,” Mahdik said. “We did have some tough practices, but we overcame them at 5:45 am.”
In preparation, the dancers consistently had 5 am wake-up calls just to be able to practice on the main gym floor.
Coach Kelly appreciates the team’s commitment to success.
“The biggest strength is the collective effort to continue to grow and succeed,” Kelly said. “I admire these kids so much, and they’re just mentally tough and physically tough.”
Last year was memorable for the Vikings as they placed fifth in the IHSA. According to Kelly, extending their win streak this year by placing sixth was a huge accomplishment.
“It’s something that we’re really priding ourselves on and feel very humbled by, because it is a result of all the trials and triumphs and the greatness that happened this season, and to be sixth in the state is a gift,” Kelly said.
Next season, Mahdik hopes to continue being a powerhouse in the world of high school dance.
“I’m excited to come back for more and to be even better than we were the year before,” Kelly said. “It’s honestly us against us and we just want to be the best version of ourselves. I think it would be really fulfilling if we just try to do better than the year before, and just, I’m excited for our team.”
