Spinning into a new season

Orchesis leaps into a new season, bringing their passion and love for dance onto the stage once again. This year the team will have a total of 31 members, doubling the amount they have had in previous years.

“With the variety of dance backgrounds that we have, I think it is going to make it a really diverse team,” Cara Obrochta, sponsor, said. “The girls are going to have lots of opportunities to do different kinds of dance that they may have never experienced before.”

Due to the amount of girls joining the club this year, one of the main struggles will be trying to coordinate a larger team.

“[It is] just going to be a matter of trying to find the space to fit us all when we are doing big group dances. Last year a few times, we actually used the cafeteria, and that worked out really well. The main thing is the spacing [which] will be a little more difficult,” Obrochta said. 

Each year, Orchesis puts on a show during February that opens with a group number and approximately 18 to 20 dances, including a halftime show during intermission. The club will be able to bring back alternates for the show allowing more members to earn a spot on the stage.

“We have had alternates in the past, it just [has not] really gone into play with people not being in the dance or being in the dance,” Julia Borek, senior and vice-president of Orchesis said. “It will motivate the girls to do better because we are not going to choose [who will perform] right away, we are going to choose girls after we learn the dance.”

In addition, Orchesis performs in the homecoming assembly and is hoping to have a children’s workshop during the season.

“In past years we had a children’s workshop, in which [members] would pair up with the younger kids and perform dances, which would also be a part of our show. Last year we could not do that, but this year we are really hoping to incorporate that back into our performance because the little kids are so adorable,” Obrochta said. 

Kelly McKinley, senior, will take on the role of Orchesis president during the upcoming season. She uses her past experiences to guide the way for what she wants the future to look like for the team.

“Since I have been doing [Orchesis] throughout all of high school, I think I have grown to know everyone that is a part of the team, and have gotten to collaborate with other members on dances,” McKinley said. “Over the years I have improved a lot with choreography and feel confident in the dances we will get to perform during the show.”

Other members get to audition for the chance to choreograph a dance and show off their skills to McKinley, Borek, and the rest of the girls on the team.

“I love seeing the improvement from the beginning of the year to the end of the year because all the dancers work so hard and it really shows on the stage,” McKinley said.

Throughout the season all of the girls participate in team bonding activities to get closer with one another and form a close knit community of dancers.