We wrap up May with notes on all the odd situations that IL dance teams are in right now as we try to get a grip with "suspended summer contact days." You'll hear Part 1 of our chat with Kari Batka, the legendary coach from St. Charles East, along with this week's Top 8 List: the hardest transitions to make in a dance program!
Knockin' on summer's door? Depends on your school calendar. And that also means it's a confusing time for Illinois' high school dance teams as they grapple with IHSA's suspension of summer contact days. Does it include virtual contact? Can teams meet virtually, or can they also do physically athletic practice-y stuff? Can it include what they usually do during summer contact, which is choreo and competition elements? And since it sounds a lot like August's "no contact week," can coaches even be involved on a Zoom meeting? Yikes. At least we have Part 1 of our awesome convo with St. Charles East's Kari Batka, who's among the deans of high school dance in IL. She tells us about how her team flexed its mental flexibility when they and fellow 3A giants Lake Park came to comp season with the same concept, song, and costumes. It's only half the convo this week, but you'll hear the thought process of one of our sport's most experienced minds. And we've got a quirky top 8 list: the hardest transitions to make as a dancer within a dance program!
This week's random Office quote:
"I throw myself at the mercy of the deposition."