The Fall Pep Rally is a very special event for the Steinert P.R.I.D.E. Dance Team. It is one of the biggest events that they perform at in their whole season. As the Steinert community joins together to bring out their school spirit for the Thanksgiving football game, the Dance Team assists in supporting the football team and energizing the crowd for the big game day. This gathering was the first event that the Dance Team performed at this year, and from the cheers and compliments from their peers and teachers, this team seems to be a ball of fire as they transferred their energy to their audience, helping to lead the Spartans on to victory!

With the addition of twelve new members this year, everyone had to put in more effort to make things work out. Coach Navata, a strong leader that brought this team to life in 2019, knew that it was going to be a bit difficult to go from twelve members to twenty-four. She recognized that both the returning members and new members had the potential and strong work ethic to get through any difficulties or obstacles. But the common phrase, “the more the merrier” became the perfect way to describe the group!

With the help of Co-coach Ms. Clifford, Captains Amanda Cramer and Gracyn Nutt, Co-captains Mahi Aneja and Brooke Pena, and Manager Amira Soto, the dancers were able to learn six dances, both hip-hop and technical. It was challenging in the beginning to teach so many people at once, especially when everyone was not at the same level of experience. But the Dance Team is unique from other high school teams because the dancers are not required to have any prior experience in dance. Everyone on the team is at different levels of experience and most of the dancers are not studio or technically trained. The only expectation from all of the members of the team is their dedication and determination to this work of art, and that was exactly what the performers showed to their peers and teachers!

The Dance Team had been preparing really hard for their Pep Rally dance since September. They had been practicing three days a week, but as the big day reached closer, practices were almost every single day. This was the first time the Dance Team was performing inside at the Pep Rally since the pandemic. The team wasn’t fully able to showcase their abilities due to the event being outdoors last year. However, this changed after the Team’s Pep Rally performance this year. They finally had the opportunity to perform for the school and demonstrate what can be accomplished with hard work and dedication.

The theme this year was Stranger Things. From music to characters to outfits, everything was related to the show. Two actors, David Zara and Dream Hemingway, were added to this performance. These actors played the characters Dustin and Lucas. All of the other members were dressed as a character from the show as well. They put themselves into their given roles and presented their characters beautifully. The team’s costumes were thought out carefully. Bright colors, vintage hair, and makeup were all elements the girls had taken into consideration before they went out on the floor. The cheers and screams of the crowd echoed through the gymnasium as the dancers swayed with the rhythm of the upbeat songs. The choreography was highly advanced and it was much longer than a normal performance, lasting six minutes. This required the dancers to keep up their energy throughout the entire performance. This was a difficult task, but the girls had proved up to the task.

Mrs. Navata started this team to create a group where students can express their emotions and feelings through dance. She wanted the dancers to have a safe space where they felt comfortable being themselves and doing what they love. Coach Navata shared, “I was overwhelmed with such joy watching the team run off the court after their Pep Rally performance. Seeing the smiles on their faces and the look in their eyes knowing that all their hard work and practice paid off.”