With the end of the football season, Hart Dance is focusing their efforts on preparing for their December 9 Hart of the Holiday show and preparing for their competition season that begins in January. Dance’s first competition is on January 20. 

This year, their annual holiday show is based on holiday movies. The show will highlight the talent of Hart Dance and members of local dance studios. Hart Dance also uses their holiday showcase to aid members of their community. Hart Dance will be partnering with the Single Mothers Outreach to give mothers the toiletries that they need. 

Hart Dance has already learned most of their competition sets. They begin to prepare for their competition season over the summer so that when January comes, the dancers know the competition sets by heart. 

“I feel really excited about the competition season and I can’t wait to dance with my team this year!” said Bella Vera, a junior who is in her first year of Hart Dance. 

To prepare for all of their competitions and sets, Hart Dance trains rigorously. Their practices begin during zero period and linger onto first period. 

“Every morning, the girls get here 15 minutes early and we have a quick chat and then [the girls] roll out the mirrors, set up the speaker and do our choreographed warm ups,” said Selina Pengelly, the Hart Dance coach. 

The team then reconvenes during sixth period, continuing to perfect their routines and ensuring that the team dances in sync. 

The team practices a diverse array of dances from multiple different genres, including contemporary, pom, jazz and hip-hop. 

The dance team works hard to perfect their routines and build bonds with their teammates, and it pays off. 

“My favorite part of being on Hart Dance is being a part of a team and working really hard on all of our dances,” Vera said.