The buzzer rings and the athletes clear the court. The game’s not over, but everyone takes a pause. It’s halftime. Girls run onto the floor in matching costumes and strike a pose. Music starts, and the dancers begin their performance.
The Belles are our dance team. They perform at halftime during basketball and football season. With their performances, they hype up the crowd and help students reengage with the game.
“The goal of our halftime routines is to make the audience feel something,” Varsity Coach Amanda Miller said. “Depending on the style, that feeling may change. An energetic hip hop routine is meant to hype the crowd and energize them to cheer on our Eagles; a pom routine is designed to spark pride and school spirit; and a jazz routine aims to move the audience through storytelling. Above all, we want our performances to leave the crowd feeling pride, spirit, or captivation.”
The Belles are highly successful in their sport, having claimed four state championships and four top-three finishes at a national level. Clearly, their skills captivate an audience.
When asked what makes their performances stand out, Adalyn Vinyard (11) responded, “I think the passion and teamwork is the most important part of performances. When we are all in it together, it makes for a better outcome of our performance.”
The Belles’ performances are complicated, with multiple styles and moves to remember, taking a lot of concentration to carry out. The team put a lot of work into their routines behind the scenes to make them gameday ready.
“The Belles practice a lot, and many people don’t realize how much work we put in,” Vinyard said. “We practice at least 4 days a week – sometimes even 5 – and put a lot of our off time into practicing to better ourselves and the team.”
“During competition season, such as now, we spend more time cleaning dances, specifically refining technique and synchronization of our competition routines,” Miller said.
The Belles are one of the most iconic parts of halftime. Without their performance, game day would feel incomplete.
