Team: Hortonville Dance Team
Coaches: Ashley Hibbard & Jensen Garske
Location: Hortonville, WI
Style: High School Dance Team - Pom
Hortonville Dance Team's Custom Pom Uniforms for Regionals
Is there anything better than the excitement of a new outfit? That feeling was evident with the Hortonville Dance Team this past season when their coaches surprised them with new pom uniforms prior to their performance at the WACPC Eastern Regionals.
It wasn’t an easy road for Hortonville; there were long-term injuries early in the season and the team was young, without any experienced seniors. The new uniforms were a perfect confidence boost for the team, right before their biggest performance of the season.
“We wanted to do something for our girls to refresh their excitement and hope for the remainder of the season”, said Coach Ashley Hibbard, “We surprised our girls with [new pom uniforms] towards the end of the season and we were able to dance with them for our Regional competition. We can't wait to dazzle the floor all of next season with them!”
The coaches designed a custom pom dress that combined their school colors with an ombre fade from one arm to another. "We really wanted to get back to our white and red roots!" said Ashley. "We love to use the visual of the white to red fade for pom effects. Our choreography really helps to play upon this fade."
"Now, when we look at our new pom dresses, we see light, hope, and inspiration," Ashley said. With tryouts under their belts and a new team in order - we can't wait to see what the 2019-2020 season has in store for the Hortonville Dance Team!
Check out a video of the team's reaction to their uniform surprise, below, plus more Q & A with Ashley!
What was your inspiration/concept and how was it incorporated into your costume, choreography and music?
With a much smaller team than normal and being hit early on in our season with a number of long-term injuries, Coach Jensen and I wanted to do something for our girls to refresh their excitement and hope for the remainder of the season.
We were brainstorming at our fall kids' clinic and really wanted to get back to our white and red roots! We love to use the visual of the white to red fade for pom effects. Our choreography really helps to play up on this fade.
Our pom song this season is a Britney Spears song. Her style is really a mix of sassy and sweet. We thought the bright colors of the red and white with the rhinestones was the sweet element, while the detail of the lace with the mesh underlay brought out that sassy element.
Now, when we look at our new pom dresses, we see light, hope and inspiration. We surprised our girls with them towards the end of the season and were able to dance with them for our Regional competition. We can't wait to dazzle the floor all of next season with them!
What makes your team/group unique?
This year was a very unique year for us. With no seniors this season and no middle school/youth program, we had a very young team and a lot to overcome. A lot of our girls came from studio dance where pom and high kick styles are not often the focus. We pushed our girls hard and as we ended the season - you could hardly tell who was a returning member and who never danced a pom routine before.
What does teamwork mean to your team?
Teamwork, to us, means you never give up. On and off the dance floor, we are a family and support each other through everything. Our dancers constantly helped each other through critiquing and getting together after practice to make sure they were dancing to their full potential. As coaches, we rally our team through silly inspirational quotes, letting them pep each other up with songs or dances and reminding them why we're here, keeping our end goal in the front of our minds.
What are you most excited for this upcoming season?
The amount that our young team has grown in a short year has been remarkable and know that with their dedication and determination we can get back in the game! Their passion and perseverance paid off as we recently had tryouts and welcomed a new 2019-2020 team of 16! We’re looking forward to our summer session to bond as a new team, work on our technique and execution and lay the groundwork for a great fall and competition season!
What was your team's biggest challenge/opportunity this season?
With more than half of our dancers new to the team, new to the styles and, for some, new to dance itself, there was a huge a learning curve to get everyone on the same page. We added six new dancers in October and our first competition was November. We also had one of those new dancers leave our team in December, and the week before Regionals we had two additional dancers unable to dance. We had to re-choreograph and reteach both of our routines the week before our biggest competition of the season. It was incredibly stressful for our young team. However, despite all of those obstacles and trying to get our young team at the level of competition that our Division demands, it only challenged them to grow and become stronger.
Check out a few more photos of the team's custom uniforms from past seasons, below!
