The Pack Dance Team participated in helping young dancers grow their skills during the Pup Pack dance clinic on Dec. 2.
Junior dancer Macie Gorman participated in the clinic and said that although the clinic was required to attend as it would help the dance team fund nationals, it was a lot of fun to see the kids find their passion for dancing through the clinic.
“It was super fun to help out because you got to interact with kids who haven’t necessarily fully gained their passion for dance but are starting to enjoy it,” Gorman said.
As a child, Gorman explained she attended the clinics because she always wanted to be on the dance team. She said seeing younger versions of herself was rewarding because she was once in that position.
“I think the clinic made me realize how far I’ve come. I remember I would see [the dancers] and it was like, ‘Oh, I want to be there’,” Gorman said. “I’m happy that little kids are going to experience dance the way I did.”
“I think the clinic made me realize how far I’ve come. I remember I would see [the dancers] and it was like, ‘Oh, I want to be there’,” Gorman said. “I’m happy that little kids are going to experience dance the way I did.”
— Macie Gorman
Head dance coach Hannah Haworth explained this was her second year organizing the dance clinic. Along with funding for nationals, Haworth said she felt the clinic allowed her dancers to inspire younger kids to find a potential interest in trying dance.
“I think it’s important for the dance team to reach out to the community and try to get interest started in us at an early age so I can eventually get [the kids] on my dance team,” Haworth said.
The clinic began with the kids registering and meeting the dance team members. Haworth said they played fun games before doing a group warmup as an introduction to the clinic. She said the young dancers were split by grade level to learn two separate routines based on the soundtrack to this year’s theme of the performance, Barbie.
“We have pre-K through second grade dancing to Pink and then third grade to fifth grade dancing to Dance the Night Away,” Haworth said.
Nearing the end of the clinic, Haworth said the two groups joined together and ran their routines a few times before the showcase for parents. Haworth explained it was gratifying to see the young dancers find their passion for dance through the clinic and the final showcase.
“It’s always really fun to see how the dance turns out because we have girls who have no dance experience and are there to have fun and then we have some girls who brought their dance shoes and everything,” Haworth said. “I’ll see all the parents filming and then the dancers will have the biggest smiles on their faces and that’s where the payoff is.”
Additionally, Haworth explained not only did the young dancers take something out of the clinic, but the dance team members did as well after developing relationships with the kids.
“I got to see some of the dancers who are interested in being elementary school teachers really thrive. I’d walk up to see all the kids surrounding the dancers because it’s so cool to them,” Haworth said. “It was fun to see the relationships they built in such a short amount of time. I could just see the personality of my dancers kind of glow because that’s what they want to do.”
Senior Lucy Cole is a member of the varsity Pack dance team and said the clinic taught her how to apply the skills she has learned from her teaching program to teaching younger kids dance.
“I learned a lot of patience. I want to be a teacher when I get older, so I need a lot of patience,” Cole said. “We learn a lot about working with kids. I’ve been able to take what I’ve learned and then bring it into the dance clinic and see what works and what doesn’t.”
Cole said she attended dance clinics almost every year when she was a kid and looked up to the older dancers. Now as a member of The Pack, she said she enjoyed sharing her love for dance with a younger age group and creating friendships with them.
“I took away some great memories and some friendships with the little kids. One of the kids became my best friend and she gave me her phone number,” Cole said. “Seeing the little kids start a dance journey and then maybe become the kind of people that could be on a dance team later is really impactful.”
