BGM dance team finishes 1st at State

DES MOINES -- The BGM Bears Dance Team brought home three top awards, including a Division 1 rating and a first place finish with their Tackty Vacation routine, at the 48th Annual Iowa State Dance Team Association State Championships this month.

The team also earned Division I and sixth place in Class I Lyrical; Division I and eighth place in Class I Jazz; and Division II and eighth place in Class III Pom.

Four BGM soloists advanced to State competition in a qualifying event in October. Abby Pierson, Kylie Arment and Taelyn Garringer, Class II Soloists, received Division II placements. Amiah Lint, Class II Soloist received a Division I.

The BGM dance team is made up of Lainey Bridgewater, Megan Hanlon, Carli Kriegel, Karagyn Minnaert, Abby Pierson, Abby Slater, Kylie Arment, Aiden Corona, Brooklyn Costello, Madelynn Doty, Taelyn Garringer, Caden Lakose, Connie Schott and Amiah Lint.

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Courtney Neighbors coaches the team with assistance from former dance coach Steph Puls.

The State Dance Team Championship was held Nov. 29 – Dec. 1 at the Wells Fargo Arena and Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. Teams were divided into classes based on school enrollment and were evaluated by industry professionals from all over the United States

Montezuma 2nd in Hip Hop

The Montezuma dance team competed in the Class II Hip Hop category and Class III Pom categories, placing fourth in Pom and second in Hip Hop.

“This is a huge accomplishment for this team, as they have been working so hard since the end of June on these routines,” said Montezuma Dance Coach Macy Taylor Richards. “Each routine is approximately two minutes long with lots of movement and formation changes.”

Lily Shoemaker, a senior at Montezuma, also qualified in October for the Class I dance soloists. She placed fifth iwith a contemporary piece.

The Montezuma dance team is made up of seven seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen: Ashlee Eilander, Lily Shoemaker, Laila Kercheval, Izzy Roorda, Coral Lowry, Samatha Bos, Camryn Brennan, Haileah Eichenberger, Analeece Kercheval, Taya Sincox, Emily Jo James, Tayler Wickham, Hayley Burnett, Vivian Cook, Krista Cheney, Lindsey Henry, Kylee Larmore, Ellen Cook, Elizabeth DeJong, Addyson Probasco and Claire Erselius.

“I am just so proud of this team. They are some of the most hardworking girls I have come to know and love,” noted Richards. “We have such an amazing time as we practice together and I’m so sad to see our season come to an end. However, I am so excited to plan and explore new ideas to hopefully come back next season to bring home a state championship.”

Grinnell repeats

The Grinnell Tigers dance team earned Division 1 ratings and top-five honors for a second straight year.

The team placed third place in Class VI Hip Hop, fourth place in Class IV Jazz and fifth place in Class X Pom.

The team was recognized again with the Lois Turnage Community Service award for completing more than 100 hours of community service in the past year.

The award is named after the late Lois Turnage, who spent 31 years as Pleasantville Elementary’s band and music teacher and the Pleasantville High School dance team coach. She was also the president of the ISDTA.

The Grinnell Tigers Dance Team also received the distinguished academic achievement award for earning grade point averages between 3.5 and 4.0.

“I am extremely proud of my team and their performances at State,” noted Sydney Bradford, Grinnell High School dance team coach. “They worked incredibly hard to perfect these routines from June through November. Their work ethic and dedication to their sport is unmatched."

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“The Tiger Paws will now prepare to attend Nationals for the first time in school history in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 7 -12, where they will compete among some of the best high school dance team across the United States,” noted Coach Bradford.

Caption:

Grinnell Dancers – 8735

Members of the Grinnell Tigers Dance Team placed third place in Class VI Hip Hop, fourth place in Class IV Jazz and fifth place in Class X Pom at the 48th Annual Iowa State Dance Team Association (ISDTA) State Championships, Nov. 29 – Dec. 1. Dancers are, from left, front row: Sarah Ashing, Ellie Mintle, Lexie Gallagher, Brielle Sherman, Lily Schmidt. Back row: Mylee Sharp, Makenna Stahl, Judith Perez-Valentin, Piper Donohoe, Isabelle Holden, Brenna Sherman, Emma Shawler, Olivia Chandler and McCaeyla Snodgrass.