The WHS Dance Team will be making its halftime show debut on Jan. 26 for the boys basketball senior day game against Plainfield.

This year’s dance team, the largest to date, is made up of 24 girls. The four captains, seniors Lily Roth and Devon Snyder, as well as juniors Cate Weinstein and Liza Jashari, are in charge of all of the logistics and create most of the choreography.

Although the team typically performs for the boys Varsity Basketball Team, this year they plan to perform at girls games as well. Senior Captain Lily Roth explained, “The team wants to perform at the games that attract crowds because we just want more people to see us. It’s not really about boys or girls.”

The team was created in 2018 by Roth’s older sister, Emma Roth. Roth noted, “Emma was a dancer and she knew that there was no dance representation at our school. She found that there were a lot of dance activities in neighboring schools. She just wanted to find a place for dancers to be able to showcase their talents.”

The team continues to gain popularity and success each year as they perform at more games.

Teacher-Adviser Kimberly Fowler said, “I think in the longer term, becoming a varsity sport would be really interesting for us to pursue. However, we’re still in such an early phase and I would like it to get a little bit stronger before we move into that.”

Roth agreed, adding that having “team status” would give the team funding from the school that they could then use to hire a choreographer and purchase uniforms.

Fowler feels the dance team provides a very collaborative, positive vibe. “I applaud the captains. They’re professional, they’re inspiring, and they’re supportive, not critical. They’re very positive and I think it ends up being a really uplifting experience for the dancers.”

Fowler added, “We are very grateful for the support of the Athletics Department and Varsity Basketball Program for their support of the Dance Team and we look forward to continuing our performances.”