The St. Charles East dance team competed at the IHSA Competitive Dance State Final in Bloomington on Jan. 31, 2025 and Feb. 1, 2025. Their breathtaking performance to the song “Burn” from Hamilton, sung by Phillipa Soo, brought them to their state qualification on Jan. 25, 2025 at the IHSA Dance Sectional at Sycamore High School.
After qualifying for State, each team member changed their Instagram profile pictures to a photo of a person standing in front of a fire, alluding to the song they were dancing to. Following the State sendoff on the morning of Jan. 30, 2025, the team of 16 dancers went down to Bloomington to kick off the State tournament. Starting with the preliminaries, the Lady Saints placed third out of 30 teams with a score of 94.46, advancing them to the finals.
The following morning, the Saints took the floor to perform their final dance for a chance at the State Champion title. With their impressive performance in the preliminary round, the team was projected to place in the top five. After months of practice, the dancers walked out onto the floor to perform for the last time this season. With a final score of 93.53 in the finals, the Saints were able to come away with fifth place.
The team’s competitive season was nothing short of amazing this year, placing in the top three at almost every competition on the varsity and junior varsity levels. This doesn’t go without saying that they have spent countless hours perfecting their routine. As stated on their Instagram page, “This past year has been a journey filled with both challenges and triumphs. Through many illnesses, intense practices and major moments of doubt, the team’s resilience never wavered. Every setback was met with determination, and every obstacle was turned into an opportunity for growth.”
The dance team has competed at State for the past seven years and hopes to continue to attend. To view their dance from this year, you can find a video pinned on their Instagram page @saintsdanceteam.
