By Lenaia Powell
Traditions at Apopka High School have not always been consistent, and the AHS Dance Team is one example of that. The dance team this year has a new structure and is back and better than ever because of Jayla and Aiyanna Brinkley’s proposal, and a brand new sponsor, Mrs. Harris. She has pioneered a unique way of running the team, as opposed to previous years, and she hopes to continue making changes to benefit the team.
“From what I understand, it comes and it goes. It hasn’t been something that’s been consistent here at Apopka, from what I hear. How true it is, I don’t know.” said Harris, which prompted me to ask if she wanted to change that so the dance team is a continuous club.
“I would like to, once I get a stronger understanding as to what it is, what the dance team should really look like and what it should really be,” answered Harris. I later found out from the captain of the team, Jayla Brinkley, that she and her younger sister Aiyanna were the ones to propose bringing it back this year. So the responsibility is also on the students, and not just the sponsor, to keep up the tradition. The quote above led Harris to tell me what changes she has already made for the club this year.
“This year, a lot of girls who tried out…I had my varsity team picked based on the judges, and the girls who were left over and did not make it onto the varsity team, I ended up making them my JV team. So everybody who tried out for the dance team ended up on a team. So that was a first, no one has ever done that. I just felt that these young ladies took the time to come out to practice and to put in the effort, and if it was something they didn’t want to do then they wouldn’t be here. So I said okay, the ones with the higher points will be the varsity and the ones who aren’t will be my JV team, and maybe somebody on varsity is injured or maybe they don’t have the grades or whatever the case may be, I can always move somebody from my JV up to my varsity. But the JV team practices with the varsity. They all practice together, and I want it to be a role that, say for instance, because I know they’re able to dance during halftime during the basketball season, and I want them to have the opportunity to also perform during halftime, not just all varsity. I am gonna give them both the opportunity to perform,” she explained. It is a bold move for a new sponsor to make such a change, which is why we have high hopes for the team under someone willing to take those risks.
As of now, the team is preparing for halftime shows during basketball season.
“We’re working on a dance that’s gonna be really dope, gonna be performed during the December basketball season, and I can’t wait. It’s gonna be amazing,” says Jayla Brinkley, captain of the team.
However, that’s about all that the team seems to be looking towards as far as performing, as Mrs. Harris has other focuses.
“With this being my first year, I just want to see how the first year actually goes and what it is I’m supposed to do and what they should be doing and not be doing, the whole nine yards. And I think with this being our first year, I want it to be my learning year so I would know exactly what I should be doing, and then I can branch out into larger things. Bigger and better things,” Harris elaborated. Fortunately, they have other things to look forward to, such as the plan for uniforms (which is not guaranteed, and as of now only a plan).
“I want to get uniforms for the girls and really showcase their talent and be able to exhibit themselves… and dance professional attire, I want them to have that,” said Harris.
Now that we have an idea of the future for this club, what is going on right now, and what exactly does “preparing” for the upcoming events look like? Raven Aikens, a senior in her second year on the dance team, explained the types of dance they work on.
“Majorette–it’s more like college style…you do it with music, band music. And so you go based on the band and based on your captain as well,” Raven said. This kind of dance is new, as last year the sponsor went for a more jazzy style.
In addition to choreography, the team endures conditioning during part of the three days of hour and a half practices each week.
“I have the girls stretching. I’m easing them into the running because they did not want to do so, but I’m a runner, so if I’m in shape, I’m gonna get you in shape, too,” said Harris on the subject of conditioning.
“It takes stamina to be able to complete a full routine…We have a stretch beforehand so that way we don’t pull any muscles,” Raven said when I addressed conditioning.
Conditioning sucks, as any athlete could tell you, but Mrs. Harris’ intentions are not to make the girls miserable. “It helps with endurance, and not only that, it also helps with a person’s self-esteem. Because if you look good you feel good.”
But aren’t there any guys on the team? Not this year, even though they were allowed to try out.
“There were some guys who were in the meeting initially, and one of them did come up to me and he asked me, ‘Can I try out?’ and I said, ‘Sure!’ For me, I didn’t know yes or no at that point, but then I was like ‘let me check’, so I did go and check with our assistant principal, Mrs. Ramirez. She says ‘Of course they can!’ I said, ‘Wonderful.’ So when they came back out I said, ‘Of course, you can try out.’ And as a matter of fact, I had one who was going to try out and practice and everything else too, but his parents were the ones who ended up pulling him,” said Harris. She would like to have boys on the team in the future and hopes that the “dancing is feminine” stereotype will be eliminated.
“[Dancing, to girls] I guess is what we consider to be the normal thing, but it is a stereotype to me. Because just like with cheerleading, it would just be girls, but no, it’s girls and boys!”
“Hopefully, boys will try out, and hopefully they will become a part of that. And then I would be able to have them become a part of the dance team, and they can also offer something that has not been shown here at Apopka High School.”
Someday we may be able to say that the AHS Dance Team is a consistent tradition, and with how things are being run now, we will be able to take great pride in that fact.