The Manhattan High School Dazzling Blues showcased three routines in the Innovative Dance Classic on Jan. 30-31 at Olathe Northwest High School.
Performances were given division rankings instead of places. Divisions are assigned based on the team’s score out of 100. The highest division is Division one (D1) with a score of 88-100, followed by Division two (D2) from 80-87 points and Division three (D3) which is 0-79 points.
The team performed in the Lyrical, Hip-Hop and Jazz categories on Jan. 31. The Dazzling Blues also earned the Entertainment award for having the most engagement on a social media post.
Their Lyrical performance featured “Always Midnight” by Pat Monahan, the routine receiving a D2 ranking. They followed it up with “Are You That Somebody?” by Aaliyah for their Hip-Hop routine, notching a ranking of D2. For Jazz, the team presented a routine for “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson, getting a D3 ranking.
“I think we did pretty good. We just had a lot of fun, as a team,” sophomore Grace Seel said.
The Dazzling Blues had to translate each song’s emotion into body language. Dancers expressed it through synchrony and the right energy in their steps.
“Hip-Hop was a really hype song,” sophomore Maren Burton said. “And everyone’s just kind of feeling themselves, and [they] can just get into it more.”
Family and friends came out to support the team, and so did other dancers.
“I knew a few people from other schools, so it was nice to see them,” Seel said. “[The event had] a positive environment. All the girls are supporting each other and there’s a bunch of schools there.”
Freshman Elle Shamburg performed two solos on Jan. 30, her first experience with Innovative Dance and a solely high school-based competition.
“I feel like a lot of the other competitions I’ve gone to have always just been studio dancers,” Shamburg said. “So seeing other schools that get to work together and know that they go to school together, was kind of cool.
Practice for the routines started as early as July in camps, where the team had the time to understand the choreography, but also each other. Dazzling Blue members connected and bonded around the passion for dance itself.
“We’ve worked hard, grown together and the more we’ve gotten to know each other, the better we can dance together,” Burton said.
