Gee-Gees dance team heads into competition season
Photo credit: Tina Wallace
Whether it’s at competitions, showcases, or at halftime, the Gee-Gees dance team represents the garnet and grey just as much as the school’s varsity teams. The team is united not only by their school spirit, but also by their desire to compete, improve their technique and to simply dance.
‘‘The passion for dance is what brought us together and incredible friendships grew from there,’’ says coach Megan Byer.
Although the dance team does not recruit like some varsity and club programs, they do hold tryouts. They host auditions each September in the Montpetit dance studio, and after two rounds of cuts the team has its dancers. Once the team is selected, they practice all year for their showcases and competitions in which they will participate.
‘‘We’re feeling pretty confident heading into competing season. Byer says, “some of the solos need some finishing touches but otherwise everything is looking really good this year.”
For the dreamers who watch too many movies and assume (or hope) that the team competes in competitions like the ones in You Got Served or Step Up, keep dreaming. The dance team already has enough events going on during the year and won’t be breaking out in dance through the streets of Ottawa in the pouring rain.
“We have enough on our plate for dance team responsibilities: charity events, promotional events, school games, competitions, flash mobs, etc,” says Byer. And we always keep school a priority with the girls. School comes first!”
She says all good dancers should have a background in a variety of different dance styles.
‘‘To be a well-rounded dancer you should have a solid background in ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, and hip-hop From there, others have trained in styles such as acro, musical theatre, and modern.” says Byer. “Versatility is a dancer’s best friend.”
That versatility is what gives dancers the ability to dance to all styles of music. Byers says that it’s fact, dancers can dance to any song. Truer words have never been spoken.
The Gee-Gees dance team will be competing in their last performance this season, on March 22 at The Rhythm Dance competition in Brantford, Ont.
