Creativity and artistic abilities took a higher stance in the last years of Red and Black competitions. Glee and Dance teams are one of the most anticipated events that take dozens and dozens of hours of preparation. From tryouts until the day of the performance, students dedicate their time to assemble all their talent into one act. 

 “We started in October,” Black Dance Team captain Annie Costello said about the preparations for the contest. “The Red and Black team captains all met together, and we picked out the music and then we had tryouts in November right before Thanksgiving. Then we started practicing the week of finals, and we’ve had practice four days a week since then. Normally, we have around six weeks of practice“

Since the start of the intense training, naturally, some obstacles might have come in the way.

“I feel like there are obstacles every year,” another Black Dance Team captain Avery Daniels commented. “We had some obstacles with not having the music done when we usually would. More so delays than obstacles, I would say. But overall we worked really well as a team. Any obstacle that we did have, we were able to get out of it. I’ve been on [this team] for three years. You meet so many new people that you don’t think you’ll be friends with but you end up forming new bonds with new people and have a really amazing experience”

A nearly decade-long winning streak was broken this Friday. By the end of the Gym Night, it was announced that the Red Team won the dance competition. Senior Red Dance Team captain Enaiya Smith who led the team along with Junior RDT Meghan McGarrigle and Senior RDT Dakueisha Roman commented:

“Dance is such a passion of mine. I love this team with my entire heart. Genuinely such a strong group of dancers who put their entire heart into this dance. I love that we were able to have so much fun together while working hard. Our bond is so special this year and I’m so happy that all of our dreams came true. There was a lot of pressure on us this year but we were confident and sure of ourselves. We needed a win for not only ourselves but for every RDT alumni from the past nine years. I could not be more proud!”

Similarly, both Glee teams put an immense amount of time and effort into organizing their performances. Junior Red Glee Team captain Stephen Stunder commented:

“We only get around a week, but we push for a little more time because of other complications, such as Madrigals and musical practices. So, we had about six days to prepare, like Dr. Williams said [during the introduction of the Glee teams]. We wanted more days. The dance teams, they get like a month, I believe, and they only have to dance to a predetermined song. We had to pick a genre, pick a song, and then had to decide on one. Then we have to choreograph and basically write our own song with harmonies, beats, and everything.

There were a lot of scheduling issues. We had a concert on Wednesday. There was stuff for band kids on Thursday. On Saturday match group was gone all day. So, we really had a lot of our rehearsal time taken away because of how over-scheduled that week was. Sometimes administration doesn’t realize that the same kids are in all these different things.”

Red Glee Team captain Ellen Moyle agreed:

“We had inconsistent rehearsal times. We had people get sick, and some people couldn’t make it. It was very chaotic. But it always feels like there is not enough time but you just need to push through it. It’s incredibly stressful. I didn’t sleep for like three days before Glee. Since it falls in the middle of the concert season, there are a lot of other rehearsals going on at the same time. Having a bit more time would be nice, but it’s not up to us, you know.”

Despite all scheduling challenges that might have discouraged any other captain or team member, both Red and Black teams persevered and demonstrated their Hatter spirit to all of us during the Red and Black week. 

Congratulations to both Dance and Glee teams for their magnificent performances and an unbreakable determination to amaze!