Dance Team makes strategic moves to nationals
Sololiya Ebba | The Chronicle

MHS Varsity Dance Team gets in position to perform at the Girls Basketball Senior Night
“Checkmate.”
After six months of tireless preparation, the Mason High School (MHS) Varsity Dance Team prepares for the most high-stakes game of chess they have ever played: on center stage at Universal Dance Association (UDA) Nationals in Orlando, Florida.
The UDA not only hosts the largest high school and collegiate dance competitions of the year, but also supports and fosters dancers across the country through summer camps and year-round clinics. From January 31 until February 2, talented groups of dancers from all over the nation will gather at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to showcase their hard work and compete for recognition at the national level.
While a traditional chess board holds 32 pieces, the MHS Varsity Dance Team brings life and energy to the stage, creating 19 wooden pawns. Working alongside choreographers Mackenzie Sherry and Paige Dixon, head coach Christina Huetter has trained this team to embrace a game that’s not typically showcased on the dance floor.
“It’s very intense, it’s very hard-hitting, it’s very athletic,” Huetter said. “It’s extremely strategic on how they move because half the team is in a white costume and half the team is in a black costume. Each person’s position on the floor is very much thought through.”
As the dancers move across the floor, the audience is taken through a story. Accompanied by the music, the dancers simulate a fight between the black and white pawns, similar to how the game is played in reality. Also in correlation to the real-life game, the pawns protect the king and queen pieces, who are portrayed by sophomores Alex Hodges and Kamilla Useche. Through side aerials, endless turns and numerous tricks, the game of chess becomes the key to an outstanding Nationals performance for the Comets.
“The beginning is so cool because it physically looks like they’re moving on a chessboard, which sets the tone,” Huetter said. “I think the ending is [also] impactful because, at the very end, the music says checkmate, which is just a really nice moment for the team.”
With the team in contrasting colors, they must stay disciplined and intentional throughout the routine to maintain a uniform, cohesive performance. Each move must be sharp and crisp so that the audience can clearly follow the story of the dance. For the dancers, the conceptual aspect of the choreography requires them to portray a weightier tone. Junior Ellery Weber is in her third year on the team, and she understands the important role the dancers play in establishing the mood of the piece.
“Our coaches like to say our dance is regal,” Weber said. “Last year, it was more of a fun, upbeat dance. They’re both fun, but the energy is different because this dance is definitely more serious. It’s all been a challenge in some ways because our coaches want us to execute the dance well and we want that too.”
To stand out in front of judges, teams will incorporate abstract costumes, song choices, tricks, lifts, and formations. Additionally, when a team flawlessly executes a dance of a more difficult caliber, it tends to be memorable to audience members and judges. When a shot at national recognition is on the line, no challenge is too vast for the Comets.
“I think one of the hardest parts of our dance is the ‘Man Eater’ section,” Weber said. “It’s such a tone and vibe change from the rest of the dance. Our coach is always telling us [we] have to be sassy [at that point], and our whole attitude has to change.”
The MHS Dance Team has made numerous UDA Nationals appearances, so they are no strangers to the bright lights of center stage. However, last year, the team left Orlando with the first fifth-place trophy in Comet history. With last year’s historic finish in mind, the group prepares for this competition with new goals and high expectations.
“Last year, when we finished [in] fifth place, it was really exciting for all of us because that’s the best that the Mason program has ever done at Nationals,” Weber said. “I think that made us kind of hungry to do well again this year because we know what we’re capable of, and our coaches know what we’re capable of. There’s a little bit of pressure that comes along with that, but that’s okay because we want to do well.”
In order to be uniform on the dance floor this season, the team has prioritized keeping a close bond outside of practices and competitions. Through “dance-givings”, pumpkin painting parties and team sleepovers, the group maintains a tight friendship throughout the season, which is evident when they perform on the big stage. Senior Captain Lauren Bowers is preparing for her fourth Nationals performance, and Bowers said she hopes the judges see not only beautiful technique but also lifelong bonds.
“Last year, [the judges] said that they could see how close our team was through the way we danced together,” Bowers said. “This year, I hope they can see all our hard work, how close our team is and how much we want this.”
The road to Nationals is a long one, and the team knows that once January rolls around, they will spend more time in the dance studio than ever before. With practices every day of the week and local competitions on the weekends, dance is at the forefront of their minds at all times in preparation for their departure to Florida at the end of the month.
“Sometimes it can be tough and practices can be hard, but we want that feeling again, of doing so well, because it was a good feeling,” Bowers said. “So the schedule can be a lot and it can be tiring, but the end result is always worth it.”
The team has already received an abundance of praise for their performances at various local competitions and basketball games. Junior Ellery Weber knows that this dance, this team and this season will be one for the books, given the amount of praise they have already received from the dance community.
“Our coach told us that dancers from [the University of Cincinnati] have been reaching out to them and saying how great our dance was, which means a lot,” Weber said. “Even one of the moms from Seton said that the dance almost made her cry. I think that made the team realize how much our hard work has truly paid off.”
When the MHS Dance Team makes their move at Nationals, they are bound to checkmate the competition with their sharp movements and practiced technique. Head Coach Christina Huetter is confident in this team’s ability to place even better this year, and, more importantly, bring an old wooden game to life on the dance floor.
“I hope [the audience] feels like they saw a really beautiful piece of art,” Huetter said. “ I hope they feel like they saw a story as well. And I hope that moments take their breath away because there’s a lot of really cool tricks that are in it that they’ve been working tirelessly to execute to perfection.”