The Manhattan High School dance team performed in an impressive outing at the Innovative Kansas City dance competition on Feb. 4. The team earned entertainment awards for the hip hop and contemporary routines, a division one rating for the hip hop routine and a division two rating for the pom routine. 

“When you go in you don’t really know what to expect,” senior Rilee Ostrom said. “I’d say [the team’s success] was a surprise, but at the same time, I do think that we all felt that we did really well.” 

This is only the second year that the MHS dance team has performed in a competition. According to sophomore Rachel Palmgren, the dancers view the competition as a valuable and positive experience. 

“[Competition] really grows us as dancers because we have something that we’re pushing towards and a goal for us to achieve,” Palmgren said. “And it also makes us really happy that we can represent MHS dance at these competitions.”

The MHS community will have an opportunity to see the dance team in action when they perform their contemporary piece, which scored the highest out of their three routines, at the Feb. 21 basketball games.