Keeping the Balance

How student dancers manage their dance schedules with school and rigorous practices

Story by Maura Langland

Senior Angel Waller performes her solo onstage at a dance competition

While after school activities can be fun and provide students with many opportunities, they can also add stress to students academic and personal schedules. For senior Gracia Greenhoot, dance takes up the majority of her time. Greenhoot competes and performs ballet at the Lawrence Arts Center. Her dance schedule takes up most of her time outside of school, keeping her from school events. “I don’t have time to do any other sports for fun,”Greenhoot said. “A lot of the time I’d have to miss school spirit activities just because I have rehearsals.” These types of restrictions are true for a lot of student athletes, keeping them from enjoying their free time. Dance separates itself from other sports by being not just athletic but also artistic.

“It’s really based on, how you look and the whole thing is, watching how you’re dancing and so it’s definitely a perfectionist sport,” Greenhoot said.

Freshman Jacie Butler competes at Lawrence Dance Gallery as well as being on the dance team. This is her first year being a part of dance team as well as competing creaing a busy schedule.

“There wasn’t a dance team in middle school so I only focused my time on competition dance,” Butler said. “There’s more responsibility with high school dance.”

In Lawrence middle schools, only cheer is offered so high school is the first opportunity for many dancers to join a school dance team. For Butler, being on the dance team has opened the opportunity to seek out college dance teams.

“I hope to dance on a college dance team to combine my competition and dance team experiences,” Butler said. “Our coach, Claire, has really helped me start to prepare myself for that.”

College dance teams are one of the few ways that teenage dancers can continue dancing after they graduate high school. However, they first have to make it through four years of balancing their schedules first.

“Keeping my social life and school life balanced will probably be the hardest part,” Butler said.