Regionals gold for Southwestern Dazzlers

DES MOINES — The Dazzlers brought home a Dance Team Union regional championship Saturday after placing first in pom, second in hip hop and fourth in jazz.

“It went really well,” coach Paige Russo said. “We’ve worked hard, and this is the first regional championship we’ve had since I became coach.”

This is the second win for this young team after taking the gold at the Linn Mar High School competition Nov. 9.

“We have three returners from last year’s team; the rest are freshmen,” Russo said. “It’s always a learning experience having dancers that have never danced together. Against four-year schools, they’ve been dancing together for three or four years. We’ve been together less than four months, but we can still take care of business and come out on top.”

Each routine features seven dancers. The pom and hip hop routines have six freshmen and one sophomore each while the jazz routine is all freshmen.

“This year, the overall drive is there,” Russo said. “I have to give it to them, we took the critiques and the judges’ feedback from last weekend. They dug deep and worked hard.”

In regional competition, four-year universities and community colleges all compete together. The hip hop routine lost to Graceland University while the jazz group fell to two four-year universities and a community college. The jazz scores were extremely tight, less than two points separating first and fourth.

Competing at a regional championship is a prerequisite for attending the Dance Team Union Nationals event in Orlando, Florida.

Not only did the Dazzlers win the pom category, but their average score of 83.13 was the highest of any team in any category by more than two points.

“At regionals, you can receive a paid bid for Nationals,” Russo explained. “In order to receive a paid bid, you have to have the highest scoring routine of the day. We were surprised but very excited that we did receive that paid bid for our college pom routine.”

The $1,000 prize will help offset costs associated with the travel and food expenses of taking 15 girls to Orlando for a weeklong competition.

There are several opportunities to view the Spartans at home. The Dazzlers will perform at halftime of the basketball game next Tuesday before hosting the second annual Ella and Maddie Legacy Showcase Nov. 30.

Though a majority of the Dazzlers never competed with Ella Leonard and Maddie Stewart, Russo said they talk a lot about the legacy the girls left.

“They aren’t here, some of them weren’t teammates with them before, but it’s still a close close place in our heart,” she said. “It makes us look differently and be grateful of who we are as a team and thankful we get the opportunity to dance and be here on earth as a team.”

Ella and Maddie were two of three Southwestern student-athletes killed in a car accident near Afton in July 2023.

The showcase is grown from its inaugural event, Russo anticipating 55-60 routines this year, approximately 10 additional from a year before. The event is designed not as a competition, but as an opportunity for solo, duet, trio and group routines to perform and receive critiques from judges prior to the state competition Dec. 5 and 6 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“It gives us the opportunity to have past teammates back on campus,” Russo said. “It gets the families of Ella and Maddie and previous dancers back together. Especially around the holidays, it hits closer to home. We get to show the growth in our program and the legacy those girls left for us.”

The showcase begins at 9 a.m. in the SWCC gymnasium. Students K-12 are $5 admission while adults are $10.

The event features four Iowa judges. Jenny Thielman is the owner of The Dance Challenge, and has 27 years of coaching experience. She is a member and volunteer for the National Dance Coaches Association.

Jeffrey Shields has been dancing since 9 years old and has trained extensively in New York City. He has more than 30 years of training and teaching.

Kayla Kellen began dancing at 6 years old and has made musical theater a part of her life. She is the owner of A Class Act Dance Center in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Mick Patterson is the head coach of the Iowa Western Reivers Dance Team and the Thomas Jefferson High School Jacket Dance Team. She brings more than 15 years experience as a dance instructor and coach. She is also a Marine Corps veteran.

“We are so thankful for friends, family, faculty and staff for the support,” Russo said. “There’s still work to be done and still a lot left of our season, so come out and support.”