From early morning practices to the memorization of numerous complex routines, the grind never stops for Southern Lehigh’s dance team. 

Under the leadership of Coach Jessica Swartz, senior captain Alaina Trzaska, and junior captain Gabrielle Sisselberger, the dance team performs both jazz and hip-hop routines at a wide range of events across the entirety of the school year.

“We perform at all of the home varsity basketball games,” junior Aidan Silvestri said. “We also performed at the Homecoming Pep Rally, the Coopersburg Halloween Parade, and this past year, we performed at [the homecoming] football game and [the Headstrong] lacrosse game.”

Membership on the team in itself is a commitment to practice, as well as coordination and teamwork. For the team, practice is vital to successful performances.

“Considering practice is extremely important for dancers, we try to never miss one,” junior captain Gabrielle Sisselberger said. “In the beginning of the school year, we practice Tuesday and Friday afternoon. As we get into the actual season during fall, we practice Tuesday morning in the high school gym from 6:30-7:15 in the morning, and we continue our Friday afternoon practice.” 

Practice, coordination, and teamwork is crucial to accomplishing the synchronized routines which the team performs. Figuring out the choreography ultimately contributes the greatest challenges for the members.

“It’s definitely hard to learn all the dances that we rotate through for performances.” senior Hannah Ostrosky said. “We don’t want people to see the same routine over and over, so we are constantly learning new dances. It can be hard to keep all the choreography straight sometimes and to make sure every dance is up to par to be shown.”

Despite the early hours, the constant training, and the complex nature of performing their routines, being part of the team is worth it. 

“The most rewarding thing about being on the team is definitely the bonds we have built,” junior Elle Silvestri said. “The team is super close, and we all look out for each other.”

And for the team, the community they’ve built could not have been possible without their leadership.

 “All in all it’s a great time and the girls are all really close, and Senorita [Swartz] might be the sweetest person there is,” Sisselberger said. “We love having her as a coach.” 

Strong leadership coupled with a committed and tightly knit team guarantees that the dance team will continue to offer sensational performances for the foreseeable future.