An unprecedented protest. Local outcry. National attention.
Drama surrounded last year's Minnesota dance team state tournament after coaches and girls from five top metro-area teams stood off to the side of the Target Center floor holding hands in protest as Faribault was named high-kick champion in Class 3A.
The teams, which did not receive awards during the ceremony, felt Faribault copied choreography, uniforms and music from a Utah team. They also were upset that an investigation by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) before the tournament cleared the team of any violations.
The protest resulted in one-year suspensions for coaches at Chaska, Eastview, Lakeville South and Wayzata. Eden Prairie's coach resigned. League associate director Kevin Merkle said he knew rules needed tightening before the spectacle. Eager to get past the publicity stain, the league has since created a new scoring rubric to ensure performances, when influenced by another team, are not overly similar.
A five-person review panel tallies points for borrowed choreography, music or uniforms. Too many points can result in disqualification at the league's discretion. Teams are also required to list influences for their performance on a form the league keeps on file.
The scoring rubric and listing of influences come from a hybrid of suggestions made by the Judges Association of Minnesota Dance Teams and the Minnesota Association of Dance Teams (MADT).
"We leaned on our four rule coordinators last year, but there wasn't the process we have now," Merkle said.
A review of the Faribault performance by dance team rule coordinators found "32 counts that could be considered the same or similar" to a team in Utah, Merkle wrote in a letter to the Faribault activities director before last year's state tournament. He added, "While the uniform and music are similar, and the theme is basically identical, these in and of themselves are also not a violation of current MSHSL Dance Team rules."
