Sports

Dance Team Racks Up Awards

The Buffalo Grove Park District's competitive dance team, Hot Shots, received recognition at last week's nationals.

The ‘s Hot Shots dance team stole the thunder at last week’s Rainbow Connection National Dance Finals in Wisconsin Dells, where individuals and groups of dancers received multiple awards.

Hot Shots, which includes 72 dancers ages 4 to 14, qualified for the five-day competition after two successful regional competitions earlier in the year. The dancers, who are trained in tap, jazz, ballet and hip-hop, are part of the park district’s 4-year-old competitive dance program, which accepts participants by audition. The students performed 33 routines during last week’s competitions.

“I’m ecstatic,” said recreation specialist Alyson Stanczak, the program’s studio director. “This is the best they’ve ever done. Every year they’ve gotten a little better. I couldn’t be any prouder as a teacher.”

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Routines are eligible for five levels of awards, ranging from high silver to double platinum. Additional honors are given for the top five or 10 routines, Stanczak said.

Buffalo Grove’s winning routines included:

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  • Sharp Dressed Man, platinum and overall first place in the 8 and under large group division
  • Speed Racer, platinum, performed by Lucia Alberico, Sam Brown, Taylor Clayson, Julia Fargotstein, Caitlyn Guth, Elaina Kravchenko, Madden Larrera, Sydney Newman, Carina Obrecht, Chloe Salpietro, Nalani Stanczak, Jennifer Stevens and Eden Suh
  • Locomotion, high gold, performed by the Blue Jazz team (average age of 8), Kaci Ericon, Phoebe Rusch, Rachel Solomon, Libby Dugan, Kailey Follett, Emily Hernandez, Rachel Kot, Mallory Machala, Jessica Sears
  • I’ve Got Rhythm, high gold; Kaci Ericon, Phoebe Rusch, Rachel Solomon, Rachel Kot, Mallory Machala, Christine Potermin, Sydney Krebs
  • Cold Hearted Snake, platinum and special judges choice award; Christine Potermin, Sydney Krebs, Kate Galvan, Stephanie Gavrila, Haley Brown, Hailee Bykoff, Sophia Alberico, Ellie Jayne
  • Green Eggs and Ham, platinum; Kate Glavan, Stephanie Gavrila, McKenna Niedzwiedz, Haley Brown, Hailee Bykoff, Sophia Alberico, Ellie Jayne
  • Partytime, high gold; Ilana Pond, Samantha Horwitz, Mariah Bloomfield, Alexa Were, Rachel Becker, Kelly Newman
  • So Long and Thanks for All The Fish, high gold; Avery Ries, Ilana Pond, Molly Machala, Allison Stark, Mariah Bloomfield, Rachel Becker
  • Tightrope, high gold; Ciara Kriegler, Sarah Pratt, Nikki Sheinkop, Emily Kopka, Carolyn Conway
  • Let Me Think About It, high gold and special judges choice award; Jennifer Brown, Jaclyn Giddens, Abby Asher, Kaila Stein, Carolyn Petersen, Morgan Bykoff, Molly Granoff, Ashley Griffin, Brittany Hinkle, Abbie Brenner, Alli Arnowitz, Ashvi Patel
  • Step in Time, platinum and fifth place overall in the 9-11 large groups; Jennifer Brown, Jaclyn Giddens, Caitlin Preuss, Abby Asher, Kaila Stein, Sarah Pratt, Natalie McCulloh, Ashley Griffin, Brittany Hinkle, Abbie Brenner, Alli Arnowitz, Ashvi Patel
  • Bounce, platinum and 10th place overall in the 12-14 small group category; Jennifer Brown, Abby Asher, Carolyn Petersen, Abbie Brenner, Alli Arnowitz, Emily Kopka, Stephanie Friedman, Nikki Sheinkop, Emily Kopka, Sarah Pratt
  • Welcome to the Jungle, platinum, production with most of the dancers on the team
  • Rock Your Body, high gold; Samantha Horwitz, Ben Krebs, Natalie McCulloh, Allison Stark, Kelly Newman
  • One Jump, platinum; Sophia Alberico, Kate Galvan, Stephanie Gavrila, Kaci Ericson
  • Love Me, high gold; Haley Brown, Hailee Bykoff, Sydney Krebs, Ilana Pond
  • It’s Tricky, platinum; Jaclyn Giddens, Carolyn Petersen, Natalie McCulloh, Sarah Pratt
  • Cinema Italiano, platinum; Jennifer Brown, Jaclyn Giddens, Brittany Hinkle, Alli Arnowitz, Abby Asher
  • You Gotta Be, platinum; Abbie Brenner, Amanda Orman, Ashley Griffin, Morgan Bykoff
  • Hush Hush, platinum; Morgan Bykoff and Kaila Stein
  • Tiki Room, platinum; Kaci Ericson and Danielle Schwartz
  • Cooler than Me, platinum; fifth place overall in the 12-14 duet/trio category; Jennifer Brown and Jaclyn Giddens
  • Yellow Submarine, platinum and third place overall in the 8 and under duet/trio category; Lucia Alberico and Nalani Stanczak
  • Newsies, high gold; McKenna Niedzwiedz and Ilana Pond
  • When I Grow Up, high gold; Sophia Alberico
  • A-Punk, platinum; Caitlin Preuss
  • Telephone, platinum; Abby Asher
  • Click Flash, platinum; Brittany Hinkle
  • Hallelujah, platinum; Ashley Griffin
  • Cry Little Sister, high gold; Amanda Orman
  • Unwritten, platinum; Jaclyn Giddens
  • Bulletproof, platinum and ninth overall (out of more than 30) in the 12-14 solos; Morgan Bykoff
  • Sir Duke, platinum and eighth overall (out of more than 30) in the 12-14 solos; Abbie Brenner
  • Hey Hey, double platinum, fifth place overall (out of more than 30) in the 12-14 solos; Jennifer Brown

In addition to Stanczak, dance teachers include Jennifer Byrd, Susan Cohen, Melissa Gocek, Karen Murray, Maddie Plewacki and Stephanie Shparago.


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