Every year the Antioch Community High School dance team puts out a lyrical-style routine for their competition season. During football season they typically work on a hip-hop style but lyrical is a style in which everyone on the team is able to contribute their talent. The team has competed at two competitions placing ninth at Stevenson and works hard to improve overall moving forward.

A lyrical dance style often embodies the expressiveness and emotions of the lyrics of the song that is used for the dance.

“You can expect a unique and heartfelt performance,” sophomore Vivian Lorch said. “There are so many different aspects and different group choreography happening throughout the routine.”

This year’s song is It Will Rain by Bruno Mars. Their costumes are dark blue which compliments the color and feeling of rain. On top of that, the costumes are also covered with rhinestones that look like water to the audience.

“Usually, the coaches have the biggest word when it comes to what kind of style we will be using,” senior Carissa Lozano said. “Since I am the captain this year, I helped pick out the song that we are dancing to.”

When performing a lyrical style dance, portraying emotion can be difficult at times. The team wears dark make-up to make sure their faces and emotions are visible from afar and to stand out. Lyrical includes jazz and ballet techniques that require high stamina to execute proper technique for more difficult elements along with ensuring a visually pleasing performance to the audience.

“This routine is probably the hardest routine that I’ve danced on the Antioch dance team,” Lozano said. “We have a lot of different elements that bring our dance together.”

Improvements are made every day whether it be in the routine or for the athlete in general. To increase endurance the team often do cardio to keep their stamina and strength throughout the routine.

“I feel good about this routine,” junior Kennedie Tan said. “There are many changes to the dance at just about every practice, but it is for the best and will make the dance look more visually appealing on stage.”

The ACHS dance team’s next competition is on Jan. 7, 2023, at the McKay Center hosted by D117 at Lakes.