Maine East’s trip to the Class 2A competitive dance state finals over the weekend may not have gone exactly as the team had hoped: The Demon Squad scored an 84.16 and finished 17th out of 30 teams on Jan. 27 in Bloomington.
“The girls did awesome, but the bright lights and magnitude of it all was overwhelming for a young team with all of its members who had never been to state before,” coach Sue Kawecki said.
Despite the mild setback, Maine East still has an unexpected sectional title to show for the season. Plus, with just one senior on the squad, the team’s future appears bright.
Not much was expected of the young, 12-member squad entering the school year. But Kawecki said she and long-time assistant coach Amanda Loerzel realized they’d hit on something special in November, when four members of the squad performed a new routine at a charity event in Wisconsin.
The routine — which has been described by members of the team as military-style, hard dancing — was soon expanded to include the entire squad. Set to a series of sound effects, the routine was designed to play to the strengths of Maine East’s team members who, unlike many of their counterparts at other schools, are not classically trained dancers.
The Demon Squad entered the Jan. 21 Huntley Sectional just hoping the routine was enough to earn a top-six place, which would qualify them for their first trip to the state tournament since 2013.
Not only did Maine East qualify, but they won, scoring an 89.47.
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“We didn’t expect to win,” said senior tri-captain Amy Ganzorig, who lives in Des Plaines. “It was a complete surprise. It was so emotional and everybody was crying. It was the best experience in the world.”
Ganzorig said she was pleased by the way the Demon Squad performed at state, which was held at U.S. Cellular Coliseum, given that the team had no prior experience performing at that event.
“I think we did pretty well, it’s just that it was the first time (members of the current squad) had gone to state and we didn’t know what to expect. We were just happy to go to state,” said Ganzorig, who served as a captain alongside juniors Joselle Portillo and Parisa Abesteh.
Ganzorig added: “I’m very happy I got to go (to state) before I graduated and am looking forward to the upcoming years and seeing what the dancers will accomplish.”
Kawecki said expectations will be high next year.
“Next year, we will be top 12 (in the state) for sure,” she said.
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press