With the new school year starting, the Xavier Dance Team is preparing for their upcoming competition season. The team has a new coach this year, Jess Novotny, who owns Prestige Dance Studio. The team also bears a new name, switching from Xavier Poms to Xavier Dance Team.
“Dance is an evolving art with many different genres, and the girls have crafted their technique in many genres so changing the name felt appropriate,” Novotny said.
As a new coach, Novotny hopes to help the team make goals and hold themselves accountable. The team’s main focus is to place well at competitions and have fun.
“We really want to defend our state title at the state competition, and make it into finals at Nationals,” senior co-captain Caroline Richardson said.
The captains of the ten person team are seniors Caroline Richardson, Sidney Scott, Erin Smith, and Mary Tallett. The four captains have been team members all four years of high school. The returning team members are sophomores Tessa Ahmann, Monica Bean, and Kess Brown. The team has three new members this year: senior Erin Hassenstab, sophomore Michele Barnum, and freshman Maggie Baldus.
The Xavier Dance Team attended the UDA dance camp in July along with 15 other teams from across the Midwest. At camp, the team placed fourth in the home routine category, which earned them a spot at nationals. Nationals will be held in February 2018 in Orlando, Florida.
The Xavier Dance Team will perform at all home football games and various basketball games. The team will also be hosting the Xavier Dance Jam competition on November 11 at Xavier High School. Their first competition of the season is Prairie High School’s Stack the Stands on October 14.

Nicole Hassenstab
A&E Writer