A group of girls in black and sparkly maroon sets are seen under the Friday night lights–the State High Dance Team. After spending the week rehearsing their routines alongside the band front, the dancers show off what they’ve been preparing.

The dance team, led by coach Shante McDougald, is composed of 8 dancers ranging from freshmen to seniors.

Freshman Emelia Marquis dances for the State High Dance Team. She had nothing but good things to say about her coach.

“Our coach is always nice, she’s always so sweet and even if you make a mistake she’s always there for you,” Marquis said.

Every Monday and Wednesday of the football season, the dance team assembles at the South Track for practice.

Freshman Carsyn Ligetti described what a usual practice would look like for the team.

“For instance, on a Monday, we would start at 6 o’clock at the South Track,” Ligetti said, “We would run stands tunes — which are short little moves that we do in the stands while the game is going on. Then, we could possibly be working on parade [rehearsal] and marching. We run our halftime show and pregame and postgame performances that we will be doing on the Friday of the game.”

Marquis described the dance team as committing to many hours of very rewarding hard work. 

“When I first signed up, I didn’t know that it was a lot of commitment, but if you want to do dance, you have to be committed to it. Also, it’s super fun,” Marquis said.

According to Marquis, the large commitment is not the only perception of the dance team that has been skewed.

“I think a lot of people think that the dancers are always outgoing and crazy, but we’re always just off to the side trying our best,” Marquis said, “I also think about people who say dance is not a sport, and it is.”

The dance team is not only an amazing high school experience, but it is also a community at heart. The dancers feel that their relationships with one another are truly something special.

“It’s pretty awesome. I really enjoy it because I get to be with people that make me laugh, people that can support me through hard times,” Ligetti said.

As well as build closer relationships throughout the season, Ligetti was also able to meet new people which helped her ease into the school year.

“We have this marching band camp [in the summer], where we get to know our team before school even starts. As a freshman I didn’t have to go to school without knowing anybody; I would be able to see people and be like ‘I know you!’” Ligetti said.

“I really like getting ready with the girls and traveling to far away games — just talking on the buses and performing together,” Marquis added.

The dancers enjoy the shared experience of performing up high in the stands and being under the Friday night lights during football games.

“Being with your friends and being able to goof around but also being able to be productive [is great],” Ligetti said, “And also it’s honestly so cool to be up in the stands being able to see a very cool, higher view of the football game and being able to be on the field performing is just really fun.”