Montezuma Dance Team earns top 10 honors at state dance

       Pictured are, from left, front row: Marley Stowell, Karsen Ahrens, Hayden Sutherland, Ella Pierce, Mallory Warden, Alanna Hutchinson, Kelsie Mostek. Second row: Dance Coach Macy Taylor Richards, Tinsley Stowell, Sydney Nicholson, Ryanne Williams, Lauryn Larmore, Vivian Cook, Sophia Semprini, Gracie Wilson, Grace Burnett. Back row: Mackenzie Clayton, Haileah Eichenberger, Lindsey Henry, Lily Ferry, Krista Cheney, Claire Erselius, Kami Mathes, Olivia Latcham, Analeece Kercheval, Kamryn Schmidt and Lily Moyer.

By J.O. Parker
 
      The Montezuma Dance program earned top honors in Division 1 at the 50th Annual State Dance/Drill Team Association’s (ISDTA) Championships, Dec. 3 – 5, at the Casey’s Center.
         Montezuma competed in the following classes:
         Class I Pom, earning a Division I and seventh place finish
         Class 1 Hip Hop, earning a Division 1 and third place finish
         The dance team had two soloists compete in the state solo qualifier in October, but neither one of them qualified for the top 10! Those were freshmen Tinsley Stowell and Mackenzie Clayton.
     The Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association’s Iowa High School and College State Dance Team Championship was held Dec. 3 - 5 at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines.
         Dance team members included: Marley Stowell, Karsen Ahrens, Hayden Sutherland, Ella Pierce, Mallory Warden, Alanna Hutchinson, Kelsie Mostek, Tinsley Stowell, Sydney Nicholson, Ryanne Williams, Lauryn Larmore, Vivian Cook, Sophia Semprini, Gracie Wilson, Grace Burnett, Mackenzie Clayton, Haileah Eichenberger, Lindsey Henry, Lily Ferry, Krista Cheney, Claire Erselius, Kami Mathes, Olivia Latcham, Analeece Kercheval, Kamryn Schmidt and Lily Moyer.
        This was another great season,” said Dance Coach Macy Taylor Richards. “The girls had a challenging season and we had to dig deep to clean our routines, work hard in technique and execution skills, along with facials and energy. They did such a great job at the state competition and I’m so incredibly proud of them.”
           More than 250 high school and college teams with 5,000 plus dancers perform more than 600 routines in the three days of competition, making this the largest state dance competition in the United States.
Teams are divided into classes based on school enrollment and are evaluated and judged by industry professionals.