Dancing to the top

PHS dance claims 3A Jazz title, third in Hip-Hop

Posted 1/30/25

Months of dedication paid off as the Powell Panther dance team danced to the top of the leaderboard at the 3A State Spirit competition, winning the 3A Jazz title while also finishing third in …

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Dancing to the top

PHS dance claims 3A Jazz title, third in Hip-Hop

Posted

Months of dedication paid off as the Powell Panther dance team danced to the top of the leaderboard at the 3A State Spirit competition, winning the 3A Jazz title while also finishing third in Hip-Hop.

“Pulling out a state championship in the jazz category was a validation of all the team’s hard work, dedication and the countless hours of practice leading up to the competition,” coach Kelsi Koritnik said. “Jazz dance requires precision, energy and creativity, so being crowned state champions is not just about technical skill but also about emotional expression and team chemistry.”

The Panthers finished with 76.7 points, less than a point ahead of second placed Lyman which had 75.725 points.

Along with the state title came another top three finish, earning a score of 77.65 points in the 3A Hip-Hop category, just 1.35 points behind Lovell which won with 79 points.

“Jazz is our wheelhouse, so to get third in hip-hop really speaks to the versatility and skill of the team,” Koritnik said. “Hip-hop and jazz are so distinct in terms of technique, energy and musicality, so pulling off solid performances in both categories showed the team’s adaptability and depth. Coming away with two strong placements, especially when jazz is our main focus, is a huge confidence boost.”

Learning their routines happened quickly.

“Our choreographer, Jaxton [Braten], taught us our routines during Thanksgiving break. This only gave us six weeks to perfect our routines with Christmas break in the middle. We did not have much time, but the girls were focused and determined to do their best,” Koritnik said.

The team prepared in a variety of ways, including the coach videotaping the routines and sending each girl a personalized correction list.

“This was very powerful,” she said. “We also spent one whole practice reviewing the videos, stopping and pausing at places in the routines that were not together. This really helped identify problem areas that needed to be fixed. Lastly, we did a facial expression circle where the girls sat in a circle and listened to the music. As they listened to the music, they matched their facial expressions. This really helped with our musicality, connection to the audience and emotional expression throughout the routines.”

She added that Braten “does an amazing job choosing music that has strong emotional expression. The choreography matches well with the words and emotion that the song is portraying.”

Powell also had two dancers, Cayleigh Douzenis and Caitlin Belmont, named to the All-State dance team.

In her second year at the helm, Koritnik said that she felt the team was better prepared for scoring at the state competition this year after reviewing last year’s score sheets.

Moving forward, Koritnik said that the team is still young, and continues to grow each year which helped lead to the state title this year.

“We had a very young team this year,” Koritnik said. “The team not only grew in their dance and technique ability but they grew together. There was so much love and support for one another. I know that our strong team chemistry is what ultimately led to our state championship.”

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