‘Everybody dance now’

Two Nodaway Valley dancers made return trips to the All-Iowa Dance Team performances this past weekend at the Casey’s Center, during the Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament.

Junior Addison Brewer performed on a team during pregame of one of the basketball games while sophomore Aleyah Pilgreen was part of a halftime pom and hip hop routine.

The duo qualified through an audition process that was back in August — more than 500 auditioned and only about 300 spots were available.

Pilgreen said the dance she was a part of consisted of an opening group that broke off into a hip hop, kick and pom section, then ended with another pom section.

“I was selected for both the hip-hop and pom sections. Two weeks in advance of our arrival at the Rec Plex in West Des Moines (where we practiced Thursday and Friday), we received videos via email of the choreography that we needed to learn,” Pilgreen said. “On Thursday evening we had our first practice, focusing strictly on the formatted formations and reviewing the choreography. The next day we drilled the choreography again and made sure everything looked clean with all 250 halftime dancers.”

Pilgreen said the morning of the performance, the group practiced on the court in the arena. Those set to help the group prepare were instrumental in making sure they felt calm and ready for the bright lights and crowd that evening.

Brewer embarked on a new experience of wearing a cape while dancing during pregame.

“I had a cape on, which was silver on the outside and red and blue on the inside,” Brewer said. “Along with that, I also did flags, and that’s pretty fun. I learned how to hold the cape and the flags the correct way.”

Brewer explained that meeting new people was her favorite part of the All-Iowa experience again this year.

“It’s fun to talk to everyone and see where they are from,” she said. “I saw a couple of girls there that I saw last year, and I met a couple of new people who I became friends with.”

Pilgreen enjoyed performance day the most, and getting to see behind the scenes at the state girls basketball tournament.

“We had the privilege of taking pictures in the well-known pink chair and used provided locker rooms. Getting to actually perform was a lot of fun, as there was so much support from the crowd, giving an extra adrenaline rush,” Pilgreen said. “This year, I actually stood next to one of the same girls I stood next to last year, which was nice, getting to see a familiar face in such a large crowd. Otherwise, I made a lot of conections throughout hte weekend, new and old.”

Nodaway Valley dance coach Sami Britten said it was a joy to see her two dancers shining so brightly on such a large stage.

“Their hard work, dedication and passion for dance continues to shine,” she said. “I’m so proud of them for representing our school and community so well.”