However, bringing spirit is not all they do. The teams compete at various competitions during the first couple of months of the school year, showcasing their perfected routines.
The team competitions begin in January and run through mid-March, and with much preparation, the Ladycats excelled. “It takes a long time to prepare [competition dances],” said the Aledo ISD Dance Coordinator, Varsity/JV coach, and AHS/DNG dance teacher Emily Robison. The Bearcat middle school and high school dance teams begin perfecting their various routines mid-summer for the upcoming competition season.
Doubling up on performances, the Ladycats continue to strengthen their competition dances while also cheering on during the busy football season, adding another layer of challenge.
The teams participate in four varsity competitions, three JV competitions, and two middle school competitions, earning many awards and titles.
A few achievement highlights from this year include the Aledo Middle School BDT earning First Place Grand Champion and third Place Overall out of 23 teams on Feb. 21, McAnally Middle School BDT voted by peers “Most Admired Team”, and Second Runner-up Large Team at the Little Elm Middle School Showcase. “That means that our girls at MMS were kind and courteous throughout the entire competition, cheering on the other teams while they performed, and really stood out to the other teams there,” said Robison.
JV and varsity have also shown out this year with the earning of various prominent awards like the varsity BDT winning best in jazz, pom, hip hop, contemporary, Grand Champions Medium Team, and multiple high-ranking officer awards at the ShowTime International competition.
Robison said “Every time our JV team has competed this year, they’ve come out as overall grand champions, both in the JV division as well as the officer division,” a notable achievement.
The JV and Varsity Bearcat Dance Team’s (BDT) finished their season strong at nationals on March 7 with many achievements, including:
Varsity–Judges Award, Second Runner Up Contemporary, First Runner Up Hip Hop, Second Runner Up Jazz, Second Runner Up Pom, and Second Runner Up Grand Champion Large Team
JV– Judges Award, Best in Class Contemporary Champions, First Runner Up Jazz, Second Runner Up Pom, Overall Best in Category Contemporary Champions, Runner up Best in Category Jazz Champions, Judges Choice Award Jazz, First runner up Grand Champion JV Medium Team, and Runner Up Grand Champions
Dance Officers– Judges Award, Second Runner up Lyrical, and Best in Class Pom Champions
JV Sergeants– Judges Award, Best in Class Contemporary Champions, Best in Class Hip Hop Champions, Best in Class Pom Champions, and Overall Grand Champions JV Officers
Spectrum II ninth grade– third runner up Charlie Herndon and second runner up Ava Cook
Spectrum II 11th grade– fourth runner up Ella Johnson
As this year’s competitions came to an end, the BDTs could look back happily with the success they faced through character building and dance performance.
The competitions “help them grow a lot, not only as a dancer, but as a person,” said Robison. Through this season, dancers learn hard work and dedication through victories and setbacks. “We’ve had dancers fall or face adversity, and it helps them learn some life lessons and to persevere through [situations] that are tough and challenging.”
Team success makes the months of hard work and preparation worthwhile. “It’s just super rewarding and super exciting to watch the girls’ faces light up because they’re anticipating and waiting, and then when they hear their names announced, the excitement that happens in their face makes everything worth it,” said Robison.
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