Some of the area high schools in Guthrie County had a good showing at the state dance team competition at the Wells Fargo Arena on December 1st.
The Panorama Dance Team won the State Championship for Contemporary and Lyrical and second place in Jazz. Dance Coach Kirsti Vance is excited for how well her team finished.
“Well, first of all, we’ve put in tons and tons of hours of practice. They worked so hard. The team has so much heart.”
Additionally, the team won individual awards that included Rachel Cogil receiving an award for being the first soloist in Iowa State Dance Team/Drill team history to take the floor for the beyond limits category and got a standing ovation. Liberty Ashworth placed second for solo. Vance tells Raccoon Valley Radio about Ashworth’s inspirational journey.
“Last year, at the same time, she was undergoing emergency surgery for her cancer and just found out she had cancer and she’s still fighting, still receiving treatment, and she was on the floor with our team the whole way. A main player on the team and also she finished second place overall in the state for her solo. And she’s just amazing and inspirational.”
West Central Valley Dance team also placed four
th as a team for Hip-Hop. 