Five members of the Panorama Dance Team qualified for the Class III State solo competition to be held Dec. 2-4 at the Casey’s Center and EMC Expo Center in Des Moines. The Panthers produced seven soloists in the competition in Pella last Friday with all seven receiving Division I ratings. Competing at the Iowa State Dance and Drill Team contest will be, from the left: Addison Wagner, sophomore; Hadley Fitch and Maci Bauer, seniors; Cali Knudsen and Nella Rivas, juniors. Knudsen and Rivas are three-time state qualifiers while Wagner, Fitch and Bauer have advanced twice. Also earning Division I rankings were Berkley Schwartz and Ava Thorn.
By Luann Waldo | Special to the Times Vedette
The Panorama High School Dance Team repeated school history with another successful day at the regional state solo qualifying contests held in Newton and Pella on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 22 and 23. The Panthers advance five dancers out of 10 selected in Class III for the Iowa State Dance and Drill Team competition scheduled in the Casey’s Center and EMC Expo Center in Des Moines Dec. 2-4.
Seven dancers represented PHS and all earned top division I ratings. More than 1,100 soloists were judged in the competition with 130 selected to perform across the 13 classes, ranked by student numbers, starting with the smallest schools in Class I to the largest at Class XIII.
Selected to compete at state are: Hadley Fitch and Maci Bauer, seniors; Cali Knudsen and Nella Rivas, juniors, and Addison Wagner, sophomore. Knudsen and Rivas are three-time state qualifiers while Fitch, Bauer and Wagner are two-time state contestants.
Additional solo contestants were Berkley Schwartz and Ava Thorn, juniors.
“I am incredibly proud of our Panorama soloists for earning a sweep for the second year in a row. Having all seven soloists receive Division I ratings and five solos qualify for state and claim five of the ten qualifying spots in Class III is an outstanding accomplishment,” Panorama Dance Team Coach Kristi Vance said. “It reflects their dedication, perseverance and heart. Watching them grow as dancers and represent Panorama is a joy and a privilege.”
Panorama is in elite company with five soloists selected for state. Only six other schools in the state advanced that many dancers. Neighboring West Central Valley set a school record with five soloists in Class IV. Other schools with a quintet of dancers picked are Wahlert Catholic Class II; Bondurant Farrar Class IX; Norwalk Class X and Waukee Northwest Class XII. Dowling Catholic raised the bar with an amazing six soloists picked in Class XI.
The other schools in Class III with soloists selected are Central Lyon, Underwood, Van Buren and two from Hinton. WCV’s solo competitors hail from Alburnett, Mediapolis, OABCIG (Ida Grove), Stanton and Wilton.
“My biggest goal for our team this year is to go out on the state floor, give everything we have, and walk away knowing we performed to the best of our abilities,” Bauer said. “As seniors, we want to lead by example and make this a memorable and successful season for everyone.
“For our five soloists, I have high expectations because I know how much how much hard work, dedication and passion each of us has put into our routines,” Bauer said. “Having five soloists qualify for state two years in a row is an incredible accomplishment and really shows the talent and dedication within our team. I’m so proud of how far we’ve come, and I’m excited to see all of our hard work pay off.
Bauer concluded, “No matter the results, I know we will make our school and community proud.”
“My goal for the team is that we can walk off the floor proud after our state championship performances this year. I hope that all five of us soloists feel confident in our routines and our performance on the state floor,” Fitch said. “It’s beyond impressive to me that we’ve had five soloist qualifications two years in a row, and no matter the outcome, I’m proud of us.”
Other schools from the area also sent dancers to the competition including ACGC and Glidden-Ralston. They performed well but were not selected for state.
West Central Valley featured seven dancers with five selected for state competition in Class IV. Advancing for the third consecutive year are Scarlett Putney (runner up last year) and Addison Leonard (two-time state champion). Also selected to perform their solos are Olivia Nims, Adalyn Weber and Lydia Tongo. Earning Division I ratings were Remi Miller and Dallas Morgan.
The Panther dancers are now working diligently to prepare for the State Team competition to be held in conjunction with the solo contests. Panorama will compete in jazz, lyrical and the mix.
For the first time, Panorama will compete in the small school jazz competition with a junior varsity team. The eighth-grade team members will perform at 7:01 p.m. on Dec. 2.
Bauer named as scholarship finalist
Maci Bauer
The daughter of Kim and Jeff Bauer of Bagley, Maci has been a member of the Panorama Dance Team throughout her high school years.
The scholarship recipients will be announced during the awards ceremony at the state championship in early December.