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Coach: Ellen Jones Asst. Coach: Lauren Rossier The Greenfield Central Blue Fusion Dance Team has been in existence as a separate dance team for four years. Prior to that they marched with the band in the summer and fall and danced competitively in the winter as a part of the Cougar Pride Guard. As a dance team now they can be seen in local parades, school sporting events, and competitions throughout Indiana. The Blue Fusion compete as a member of the Indiana High School Dance Team Association beginning in December and ending the first weekend in March. The IHSDTA provides dance competition for Indiana middle and high schools in the categories of jazz, pom, lyrical, hip hop, kick, and production. Varsity teams may compete in one of four levels in pom, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop based on their technical ability. The four levels are novice, intermediate, advanced and elite. The Blue Fusion Dance Team was a charter member of the IHSDTA when it began thirteen years ago. In their thirteen years of competition they have finished in the top 5 many times and have repeated championships in the production category. In 2006 the Blue Fusion Varsity team earned a State championship in the Advanced Jazz category with their performance to Kylie Minogue’s “Too Far”. It takes hours of practice and dedication to live up to these expectations. The Blue Fusion Varsity and Jr. Varsity teams have ballet training weekly and put in nine to eleven hours of practice weekly during competition season to perfect the routines. All of these hours pay off as they stand to accept awards at the weekly dance invitationals. These teams are used to performing in front of audiences containing thousands of yelling, screaming and clapping fans. We encourage you to show your enthusiasm for their performances by doing the same before, during and after their performance. The Blue Fusion Varsity Team will be competing in the Elite category alongside many National Championship teams. The varsity team is composed of 10 members, 2 of which are 4 year seniors…Maggie Leonard and Ashley Bell; 2 juniors…Michelle Hall and Caitlyn Pohland; 4 sophomores….Candace Barnes, Lee Ann Hoffa, Brittany Nigh, and Kara Smith; 2 Freshman…Amanda Graham and Falisha Skaggs. The technical skills at the varsity level have increased amazingly over the last few years. Some of the alumni may recall when a single turn or toe touch was exciting and a great accomplishment, bringing cheers from the crowd, especially if the entire team could execute these skills. Today’s teams are turning triples and quads, executing fouettes, changing spots on turns, and demonstrating extreme flexibility. The pom category focuses on sharp synchronized movements and the visual effects and pictures made by the poms. The judges look for a routine that would not be effective or enjoyable to watch without the use of the pom. The Blue Fusion Dance Team is composed of a Varsity and a Junior Varsity team. This year’s junior varsity team is composed of 12 members, 4 sophomores…Christian Barnes, Brittany Crosby, Katie Jones and Brooke Willits; 8 Freshman…Nikki Arthur, Katlyn Cottrell, MacKenzie Fishero, Hannah Russell, Jamie Smith, Olivia Snelling, Vanessa Toloday and Kelsey Turner. In the IHSDTA, there are no divisions in the Junior Varsity category. All teams compete regardless of the competing level of their varsity team. Besides pom routines the teams also compete in the jazz category. This is the most popular category in the IHSDTA and showcases a team’s technical skills and precision. It is also the most interesting category as teams exhibit many different styles of jazz performed to many different styles of music. Back through the years our teams have danced to many themes and styles of music. The Blue Fusion Varsity Dance Team set the standard last year in the Advanced Jazz Category as they danced their way to a State Championship in this category. We are proud to have four returning members of that team, Ashley Bell, Maggie Leonard, Michelle Hall and Caitlyn Pohland. Their win last year in this category advanced our team into the Elite level of competition for this year where they will compete against National Championship teams. There is no cap on the skills that they can execute in their routines. One of the many benefits of being a member of a dance team is friendships that may have never occurred otherwise. At times these girls are with the dance team more during the year than they are with their own families. These girls become not only teammates, but our close friends. Many memories are made that fill numerous scrapbook pages and photo albums. I’m sure a few more pictures will be taken today. Many photos are displayed in the hallway of previous teams. This year a combined team of Varsity and Junior Varsity members will be performing a Hip Hop routines which were both choreographed by Casey Curtsinger from 360 Dance in Louisville, Kentucky. The Blue Fusion Varsity and Junior Varsity combine their talents for their production routine. This is considered one of their most fun performances and is what they are most known for around the state. It is also the performance that the parents are involved with the most. A matter of fact, if they didn’t have the parents they wouldn’t have a routine. The parents donate countless hours to build, paint, and create all of the things you will see here today. Special thanks is given to Jeff Bell for organizing the construction of the production project this year, as well as, all of the hours all of the parents have put in on these projects.
Each year in production the theme changes and they are never
sure of what will be next. The theme, designs, and choreography
are all the product of countless hours dedicated by their coach
Ellen Jones. She decides on a theme and then plans out all of
the props, designs all the props and the backgrounds, designs
the costumes and choreographs the dance. She has had the team
shovel snow, make trips to the beach twice, board a pirate
ship, become mad scientists, they sold tickets, had a hoe down
on the farm, had a slumber party, and last year they went
camping. They have also played the biggest game of Monopoly
ever. This year, join the bucket brigade as the fireman respond
to “911”.
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