Bend High’s Dance Team
October 29, 2009 • written by Sierra Larsen
If it’s a pop or a lock, a spin into a leap, the Bend High Dance Team girls have it down. Starting out with only a few members, the team has now turned into nineteen dancers. There are nine seniors, two juniors, four sophomores, and four freshmen. Kelli Bailey is the head coach, Rebekah Hopkins is the assistant coach, and P.R. Love, a previous dance team captain, comes to help out. When the dance team first began a few years ago, they were not well known because the idea was new. Now, many students in the school acknowledge our Bend High dance girls.
Each week the group practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for two and a half hours. First, they start out with a warm up to stretch their muscles. Then, head coach, Kelli Bailey, sometimes has them work on technique by doing drills across the gym floor. From there the girls either learn a new dance or practice an old one. The team learns many dances to perform throughout the school year. Our dance team performs at assemblies, games, and even dance competitions.
Last year, the dance team had the chance to perform at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. The Holiday Bowl is a televised championship football game played between two different college teams. That year, U of O and Oklahoma Sate played each other. This was a huge opportunity for the Bend High dance team because the stadium housed 59,106 screaming fans. “Welcome to the Jungle” was the song they danced to during halftime. With sunglasses and cute expressions while dancing, they brought entertainment to a filled stadium.
This year, our girls are competing in Portland on November 7th. They’re performing a flamenco dance. Flamenco is a type of Spanish dance that involves sharp profound movements. Wearing flowing skirts and high-heeled character shoes, these chicas will flaunt their sassy flamenco style. Wish them luck!
wow sierra. this is amazing, it was inspiring and very touching.
you did a great job. your a pro already(:
love ya girly
Hi Sierra,
Great article- thanks for letting me know about the Bend Dance team. Well done and enjoy your Flamenco on the 7th!
Great article Sierra! So happy to hear about Bend High’s Dance Team and how well they are doing. Ole’ to the Flamenco Chicas on Saturday!
Kudos to Sierra for a well written article. It sounds like you have been writing for sometime. You’ve got the hang of it. Keep doing it! and congrats for being a part of the dance team. It sounds like your performances are very entertaining. Keep up the good work and “Ole” to Portland!
Best wishes,
Uncle Chris