Lancer Dancers and Xcalibur dance into their new season
October 13, 2017
Lancer Dancers and Xcalibur start the 2017-2018 season dancing at all the football games and pep-rallies. Later in the year, they prepare for showcases and competition season.
Senior, Maya Wong, and sophomore, Nicole Burke, dance during the USA game pep rally, Friday, Sept. 15. The Lancer Dancers work to hype up students for the game during the pep rally.
Lancer Dancers dance their way into the new season
It’s halftime and the Lancer Dancers take center stage; the music starts playing and they begin their performance. Loud Crowd goes wild and everyone in the stands is cheering. Performing at halftime is a great opportunity for the team before they go into their new season.
“Dancing at football games is one of my favorite parts of being on LD, I love how everyone is always involved, and it makes it that much more enjoyable to perform in front of your school and under Friday night lights,” senior Lindsay Foster said. 
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The Lancer Dancers spend a week preparing their performances for the football games. The team has to learn the dance, clean it up and make sure their cardio is performance ready. Being a part of a nationally-ranked team is a very big commitment resulting in the girls spending a lot of time on their routines.
“It’s a lot of commitment, you have to be focused at all times, if we don’t get enough done we will end up staying later,” sophomore Nicole Burke said.
The Lancer Dancers have four captains, all of them in different grades. Being a captain of a team requires a little bit more work, have to be willing to put in the effort.
“As captain, I have a lot of responsibilities inside and outside of practice,” Foster said.
Captains choreograph dances for the team, keep the team organized by staying on top of events and performances, speak at community events, and overall, we help keep the team motivated. Captains lead by example, and influence positivity to the team.”
The Lancer Dancers are the number 1 dance team in the nation. The team placed 1st at UDA Nationals in 2017 and were the World Champions in 2016. Being such a high-ranked team requires the girls to manage their time between their dance and schoolwork, but it can also be fun and a great learning experience.
“Being captain is a big responsibility, and also a great honor,” Foster said. “I’ve had the opportunity to be captain again as a senior, and I love being able to lead, support and learn from my teammates everyday.”
X-Calibur starts out their halftime dance during the JV football, Friday, Sept. 15. The dancers work to excite the crowd for the second half of the game.
Xcalibur jazzes into the 2017-18 season
When halftime comes Xcalibur waits to perform on the sidelines, they get ready to dance and make the field their stage. After they perform the girls jog off the field with big smiles on their faces proud of the work they did.
“We practice a lot, learn choreography, and clean the choreography so we look good as a team,” sophomore Victoria Hrisanthopolous said. “Just this past dance, we had a bunch of new skills that we had to master and had to do skills tests.”
Dancing in front of hundreds of people can be nerve-wracking but the girls find it a fun thing to do. All the people cheering them on in the crowd boosts their confidence when performing.
“Dancing at football games is my favorite part of being on the team,” senior Hannah Gelbart said. “You are not only dancing alongside your best friends, but you get to be spirited and involved on the field. Performing in front of loud crowd makes me proud to be a part of such a unique school experience.”
Having placed 1st for jazz at their national competition, they dance with lots of passion. They also perform highly in hip-hop. Choosing what kind of dance to do at the football games leaves them with a tough decision. The girls leave it up to the choreographer that will teach them their dance for the performance.
“Dances are based on incoming choreographers and what captains bring to the table. We mainly perform jazz, pom, and hip-hop,” Gelbart said. “I’m given the opportunity to choreograph dances for Xcalibur and I’m really lucky to see and be a part of the final product when we perform.”
Xcalibur’s captain Hannah Gelbart has taken on the role of being captain two years in a row. She believes that even though she is captain, all the other girls work just as hard and they push each other to do their best to keep Xcalibur performing at high levels.
“It is an extremely difficult position, but definitely worth it,” Gelbart said. “It’s beyond rewarding to watch my team improve and to be in a group of such dedicated girls who are so supportive and hard-working. By no means does being captain mean I pull more weight than the other girls. Every member shares a common goal of what’s best for our team and upholding Xcalibur’s legacy.”