By Tom Rohrer
With a capacity crowd watching and the spotlight soon to be on her, Tumwater High School Dance Team member Allie May does not get nervous. Instead, she focuses on her intertwined relationship with the music.
“Every dancer is different, some get nervous, some say they will show off,” said May, the Hip Hop Captain for the THS dance team. “My favorite thing to remember is the music goes to my dancing, I don’t dance to the music. I just want to go out, show my moves, and let the music flow with me.”
May’s mindset is clearly working. Beginning February 2, the T-Bird dance team will be competing in the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Competition, at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
For seventeen years, Kim Hille has been guiding the dance team. It’s her sixth visit to Nationals and the first time since 2011. Tumwater will compete against 330 teams, an exciting, but undaunting prospect for the group of dancers.
“It will be really intense and for sure the competition will be very, very strong,” said THS sophomore Sammy Jones, who is in her second year on the varsity squad. “But I know we will be able to hold our own.”
Hille has built the program on hard work and her ability to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of competitive dancing.
Along with previous visits to nationals and in-state accolades, Hille has instructed three current members of the Sea Gals, the professional dance squad for the Seattle Seahawks. Allie and Karissa, two members of the Sea Gals, coach at Tumwater. Karissa led the JV team to the national event in 2011. The team finished sixth in the hip-hop category.
“It’s amazing to think that I’ve coached three current Sea Gals, and the girls on the team take notice of that,” Hille said. “Having them come back and coach, that’s huge. They’re such great role models for our kids.”
High-level coaches and role models have led to continued success. Last year alone, the varsity team placed first in Hip Hop, first in Pom, and second in Dance at the Washington State Competition.
“Having role models to look up to is huge for all the girls,” May said. “Most teams have one coach, and unfortunately aren’t as successful. We have such great coaches and role models and to have them give you advice is huge because I know they were in similar or the same situations.”
“To give back to the program that I was a part of is amazing,” said Karissa in an earlier interview with ThurstonTalk.com. “It’s so rewarding and makes me proud to see them improve and come together.”
Hille also has experience as a THS dancer. She was a member of the All-State Jazz Dance team her senior year at Tumwater, but still didn’t foresee the success the program has sustained since she took over as coach.
“I danced on the team in high school and I wanted to turn it into a great program and evolve it. This process has been very special,” said Hille, who also coaches two Tumwater rec teams and the squad at Bush Middle School. “I never thought it would get to this level in a million years.”
Several members of the dance team have made the trip to Florida before. Their advice and experience will be key to acclimating the others.
“It’s important for everyone to have fun, go out there and give it their best,” May said. “Sometimes girls are nervous, don’t give it their all and regret it. If you give it your all, things will likely fall into place.”
To compete at this level, the team practices five times a week, with many of the dancers putting in extra work at dance classes outside of school.
“Basically, when they are performing the routines, they are sprinting throughout the performance,” Hille said. “On top of that, they have to memorize elaborate moves and positions. It’s extremely demanding.”
“The physical conditioning is one of the main reasons why I enjoy dancing so much,” said sophomore Meron Knuzten. “You have to push through and display energy and it’s fun to take on that challenge.”
Dancing impacts the students lives beyond competitions.
“Overtime, they change into completely different people, in a positive way,” Hille said. “Where my freshmen started as 8th graders last May, they’ve come such a long way already. When they get to high school, they know 33 other people already. Those friendships and guidance is huge for their age. And their self-esteem, confidence, performance in the classroom, all those things improve.”
This commitment to excellence is extremely visible in May. On the cusp of possibly the biggest performance of her life, she remembers why she loves dancing so much.
“I’ve been dancing since I was four years old, and for me, it’s not a passion, it’s a lifestyle,” May said. “With other sports, like basketball, you go to practice and then you leave. If you’re in dancing, you dance around your house, you dance to music in your car, and then at practice. A lot of people like to say they give up their whole life for it, but it is my life.”
You can watch the Tumwater Dance Team’s performance at the National Dance Team Competition at www.varsity.com.
