Wayzata kicks aside Maple Grove in dance competition

The entire arena jumped to its feet for a standing ovation Friday when the Wayzata Trojet Dance Team hit the last count of its jazz routine.

While the 7,500 fans in attendance at Target Center usually cheered only for their own team after each event in the state dance tournament, both AA and AAA supporters burst into applause.

Wayzata was crowned AAA jazz champions at the Minnesota State High School Dance Team Tournament for the fifth time in recent years, taking the title from last year's first-place finisher, Maple Grove.

For the past nine years, Maple Grove and Wayzata dance teams have dominated in high school dance, alternating first place in the jazz competition in the AAA division since 2004.

The styles of their jazz routines have traditionally been polar opposites. Wayzata maintains a hard-hitting dance style with sharp movements, while Maple Grove goes for a more lyrical, emotion-evoking dance.

The top three teams in jazz and high kick in each section in Minnesota go to the Minnesota State High School Dance Team Tournament. Judges rank the teams on difficulty, choreography, execution and technique of jazz and kick skills.

"How we look has nothing to do with it. It's all about what they can do athletically," said Wayzata coach Leslie Swiggum.

While there are obvious technical things that are either right or wrong, dance is a "very subjective sport," said Maple Grove coach Jill Leste.

Wayzata senior co-captain Tia Vegemast said the two dance styles are not really comparable -- jazz requires matching style while high kick values precision -- but in both categories she can feel the energy from her teammates. "I'm going to miss... them so much," Vegemast said.

'Beyond difficult'

Wazyata was a shoo-in for first place in jazz following its last turning sequence. The girls complete a long turning combination which changes tempo, direction and arm placement, all while spinning -- something that's "beyond difficult," said Alyse Iorio, a Wayzata coach.

While the team has been confident in jazz in the past, it allotted more time in its practice schedule for high kick this year. "We really focused on going to state this year for both," Vegemast said.

This was the first time the girls went to the state tournament in high kick in three years, and they finished fifth out of an overall 12 AAA teams that competed Saturday and a total 54 AAA teams around Minnesota that competed to go to the state tournament.

"It doesn't get much better than being on that state floor," said Swiggum, who has coached Wayzata for 37 years.

Where Maple Grove excels

The unthinkable happened at Maple Grove High School two days before the state tournament: One of the jazz team members tore a ligament in her ankle last week.

That afternoon, all formations in the dance had to be completely redone.

Maple Grove Dance Team co-head coach Jill Leste said it "pretty much doesn't get much worse than that."

But the team could handle it. It's had to re-choreograph dances before.

Maple Grove has a successful track record in jazz specializing in a more lyrical dance. "That's where this team excels," Leste said. The blend of technical skills and the grace and emotion of this style of dance can "grab the audience," she said.

Leste was a dancer and judge of high school dance teams before coming to Maple Grove 12 years ago. Since then, the team has competed in the state tournament almost every year.

Leste said many of the girls are technically trained dancers at local studios, which she said is necessary to be successful in the jazz category.

Many of the girls have danced together for years and readily anticipate each others' moves, which is beneficial when part of the score is on uniformity in style.

But even rival dance teams Wayzata and Maple Grove share classes at area studios.

"They compete against each other on Saturday and then on Sunday they're at the studio together," Leste said.

Pushing at practice

The Wayzata dance team coaches never yell during practice. It's one part of their philosophy that has allowed them to succeed at the state tournament.

Coach Swiggum also will never assign more than one girl to each competition spot. She said this allows the girls to improve as a team instead of wishing an alternate would fail so she could dance in her place. "It allows everybody to want to help everybody else to get better," she said.

The dancers practice six days a week for about 2 1/2 hours each day, alternating practices for jazz and high kick. In addition, many girls take classes at studios outside of the team practices and can spend up to six hours a day dancing.

Iorio said they "clean," or perfect, small chunks of the dance as they go along. A 15-second section could take an entire practice to improve.

While the season officially starts in October, teams are selected in April or early May. The dancers all attend a summer camp together and take "mini-classes" twice a week to learn jazz and kick technique, said Wayzata co-captain Mariah Champ. Two weeks before the season kicks off, the captains find out what music their coaches have chosen and choreograph their dance to it.

While the dances must be finished within those first two weeks, the team is constantly modifying the routine. To stay competitive with other teams, the girls have to increase the difficulty of their dance. "We've never competed with the same dance twice," Vegemast said.

The commitment

Champ's father, Tim, said the hard work showed in their performances at the tournament. "Anybody who doesn't believe it's a sport ought to go watch a practice," he said.

Champ, the Wayzata captain, was looking forward to the team's annual trip to Perkins after the state tournament. After giving up pop for the entire season, the senior captain planned to treat herself to a diet Coke at the restaurant. She said it's "the best feeling ever."

The tradition is one of many the Wayzata team has, like team sleepovers, eating at Applebees after competitions, and "lucky blush," which Vegemast said each girl uses. Spending more than 15 hours together each week, the team is close-knit. "We're like a family," Vegemast said.

It's like that at Maple Grove, too. "Nobody else quite understands what they're going through during these months," Leste said.

Jill Jensen is a University of Minnesota journalism student on assignment for the Star Tribune.