Caity Healy | Managing Editor

With the scoreboard showing the Wolves on top, the spirit was high on Oct. 19 as the Homecoming game went into the halftime break. Following the announcement of the Homecoming court, the energy from the bleachers was kicked up a notch as the Dance Team took to the track for their annual Homecoming performance. 

The sound of silence consumed the crowd as the Dance Team got into formation, partnering with the Cheer Team. With the dancers donned in Western red and black, the music began and the performers started their routine to “Lose Control” by Missy Elliott. It was clear that the dancers were showing the spirit of the Wolves through their high energy. 

“I think the homecoming performance had a lot more energy than the first performance we had,” said senior dancer Jenn Romadka, a public policy and administration major. “With twice the amount of people on the track, it was just a lot of fun to know that both teams were kind of rocking out.”

But on top of the energy felt by the dancers, the high spirits of the crowd were palpable as well.

“I think everyone in the stands always gets more excited during Homecoming, too, so I felt a lot more energy coming from the back of the stands than I have in the past,” Romadka added.

This year, rather than performing alone, the Dance Team decided to work with the Cheer Team. However, the cheerleaders were added to the routine a bit late — Romadka explained that they learned “over half the song the Thursday before the performance,” and the performance was on Friday. As for the Dance Team, they practiced their routine for two weeks before the performance, and practiced together with the Cheer Team just twice before the performance in order to get the spacing down.

For those wanting to see more of what the Dance Team has in store, they perform at home football and basketball games, so they can be watched next on Saturday, Oct. 26 at MacArthur Stadium for the football game versus MSU Texas. For those wanting to learn more or are interested in joining, they can contact Kayley Kildea at kakildea17@wou.edu.

Romadka closed by saying she would, “encourage anyone to join if they want to, the whole experience is just really supportive and about continuous growth, rather than how much dance experience you have when you try out.”

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy