Kicking it up a notch

Owatonna is one of the few high schools in the Big 9 Conference that does not have a dance team. However, there are other opportunities to be a part of a dance team in Owatonna, including Just for Kix, Jill Hoggard Academy of Dance or Community Ed classes.

Just for Kix is a dance program started in Brainerd, Minn. and is continually spreading around the Midwest. Just for Kix offers classes for children three to 18 years old, and they begin competing in fourth grade. There are different types of dance classes, including kick, lyrical, hip-hop or jazz in session September through May. The Owatonna Just for Kix studio competes three times a year.

The teams recently competed at the Eastview Competition in Apple Valley and at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. The next competition will be April 10-12 in Rochester. At the Eastview competition, the Junior Kix team, comprised of ninth graders, placed fourth. The Senior Kix team, comprised of tenth through twelfth graders, placed second. In Decorah, the Junior Kix team placed first, and the Senior Kix team placed second. Abby Wilson, dancer on the Senior Kix team said, “I have been in dance for seven years. Dance keeps me grounded and has given me the best friends in my life.”

The teams are looking forward to their big competition in Rochester. The Senior Kix team is entered in the Senior Kick Showcase. This is a division made up of around 30 teams for the first round. The second round judges narrow down the division to nine teams. These teams compete again for placement. Along with the competitions, there are two recitals annually, a winter and a spring show.

Another dance program in Owatonna is the Jill Hoggard Academy of Dance. This program offers classes for children two to 18 years old. Classes are in session September through May, but summer sessions are available. There are also multiple dance recitals each year, competitions for dancers sixth through eighth grade compete in Junior competition, and dancers in ninth through twelfth grade compete in the Senior competition.

Dance teams have been a rapidly growing sport throughout Owatonna in recent years, however the high school still does not have a dance team. These dance lines are the only option for these girls to join a dance team in Owatonna.