After the BVNW dance team was disbanded earlier this year, the dance team, now called Purple Pride, is being reconstituted with head coach Caitlin Hendricks and assistant Emily Young at the helm.

Throughout the semester, BVNW Principal Amy Pressly said with help from the district, they came up with a plan on what they wanted the dance program to look like in the future. From The Dazzlers to Purple Pride, Pressly said the main target is to rebrand the program to be a positive face for the school around the community.

Choosing Hendricks, Pressly said, as head coach was an easy decision because she embodies the qualities that she was looking for in a new head coach.

“Coach Hendricks has a real vision for branding and making a real positive commitment,” Pressly said. “She knows what it takes to run a head program and her passion is high school dance team.”

Junior Faith Kelly has been on the BVNW dance team since her freshman year of high school, but said she was considering not trying out for the team for her senior year.

“It all depended on the coach, so that’s what I was just going to base my decision off of,” Kelly said. “She just had a really good presence and [is] very prepared. I really liked that she knew what she was doing and I think that everything will be more controlled next year.”

After coaching in Iowa and Texas, Hendricks said she has been looking for dance jobs in Kansas City for about a year and a half. In her experiences working with many different types of people and dancers, she said she has been able to grow and learn how to handle many different situations, which is an important skill as a coach.

“It was something I had previously done with other programs, so it just felt like a really great fit,” Hendricks said. “And a really great opportunity for me to bring my experience, talents and just my philosophy on teaching.”

The focus of the dance team for this coming year, Hendricks said, will be rebuilding the program throughout the year and being involved and present in community events and representing the school in a positive way.

“Dance team is so much more than just it’s own world,” Hendricks said. “It’s important to support other people, whether that be athletics, fine arts, and just being present in the community.”

Although there will be changes, such as the name of the team, the structure, and the coach, Kelly said she looks forward to helping rebuild the program. With a semester break from the dance team, Kelly said she hopes they can rebuild the program and return better than before with the help of Hendricks.

“I want the reputation to be rebuilt,” Kelly said. “It just hurts because people are making assumptions about me and it surprises me about what people say to you behind your back. My hope is that it starts being positive things that people say about us.”

One of her goals for the program, Hendricks said, is to avoid making the dance team a cookie cutter program of other schools, in order to make the program unique and authentic.

“I think it’s more about the growth of the individual dancer and then looking into that with the overall program throughout the year,” Hendricks said. “I just want it to be a fun, exciting place to be in and harvest good characters, people that are motivating and positive”.

Additionally, Pressly said Hendrick’s energy and ideas will likely propel the program forward in a positive direction.

”Her passion is to work with girls in a dance team program format, which was something unique about her,” Pressly said. “I think the entire committee was in agreement that she was, by far, the best candidate and would be a really good fit for Northwest.”

More information will be added as it is gathered.