Dancers head to Florida for performance

CHRIS HAGAN
Statesman Journal

January 16, 2008

While Tennessee and Wisconsin university fans couldn't wait for their teams' players to get back on the field at the Outback Bowl New Year's Day in Tampa, Fla., Danielle Terzenbach was soaking up every minute of halftime.

Terzenbach, the coach of the Sprague High School Olyannes dance team, would finally get to see her team dance in front of more than 60,000 people.

"Seeing my girls on the field at halftime was such a proud moment," she said. "I actually had tears in my eyes which was a reaction I was not expecting."

The group was selected after contacting the Just For Kix dance tour, which coordinates the half time show for the bowl each year. The show has included as many as 5,000 performers, including both university bands, 30 high school bands and hundreds of dancers, according to the Outback Bowl Web site.

The group of 18 dancers left the day after Christmas, arriving in Florida around midnight. From there they met up with the rest of the performers to practice the routine for the game. While the scale of the performance was a first for the Olyannes, so were a few other elements.

"The girls practiced as a large group about three times and then were joined by 2,400 band and color guard members from around the country and Canada," Terzenbach said. "This was the first time my team had ever danced to live music."

The team danced during a pre-game show and then the big show at halftime, which included two routines to 1970s-style music. The Olyannes wore red and white costumes and helped make an American flag during a patriotic finale.

Seeing the team as part of such a huge performance was special for Terzenbach, having taught and seen the girls improve for years.

"I have had the majority of these girls on my teams since they were in sixth grade and this was just a spectacular culmination of all of our hard work together," Terzenbach said. "Performing for an audience of 66,000 people is an experience most of them will never have again."

While the halftime performance was the highlight of the trip, with a week in Tampa the Olyannes had plenty to do. The group spent the days before the performance sightseeing around the area, including trips to Busch Gardens and the Walt Disney World Resort, and also competed at the Just for Kix National Dance Championships.

The Olyannes are looking for their next tour and will hold a dance camp for younger dancers in August.