After becoming a team only a few years ago, the Indian Hills Dance Team (IHDT) finally got an opportunity to head to Florida for Nationals. After winning their first three competitions this season, they were looking to prove themselves at this year’s national competition. For both Pom and Jazz routines, Indian Hills advanced to the finals straight from preliminaries (prelims). Senior captain, Jordyn Faivus, comments, “The experience of going to nationals as a team made us stronger. Going straight from prelims to finals sounds easy, but it wasn’t. We worked hard every single day at nationals and it brought us even closer as a team.” Falling short of the podium in the finals changed nothing of what the team accomplished. Faivus continues, “Going to nationals was something that I never thought I was going to experience because the dance team is so new. Getting to be there and experience what it was like to dance on the nationals floor is something I will never forget. It was amazing to look back and reflect on how far we came as a team from the beginning of the season to nationals.” The girls’ routine was unique compared to other schools, which allowed the style of Indian Hills’ blue and gold to bleed right through, dancing with passion and excitement, with the addition of some jitters of course. During their Pom performance, dancers would shout “IHDT”, further showcasing what our school’s dance team has to offer here at Indian Hills.

Nationals wasn’t all about dance, “When we weren’t dancing we were laughing and having fun. Most nights instead of going out for a nice dinner we sat in our hotel and ate, while laughing non stop. It was so much fun to be able to spend time with everyone on the team outside of just dancing,” Faivus reflected on her experience. Although three seniors including their captain will be leaving for college next year, there is a lot of talent getting ready to bloom for the future of IHDT.