Dancers take center stage in IHSA dance competition
BLOOMINGTON, IL (25 News Now) - Competitive dancers took part in the two-day Illinois High School Association’s state finals.
Following the preliminary competition on Friday, the top 12 teams -- from both 1-A and 2-A -- competed Saturday afternoon inside Bloomington’s Grossinger Motors Arena.
Jacksonville High School, located just west of Springfield, took home the first-place trophy, for class 1-A with a score of 92.40.
Close to 9,000 people were anticipated to travel to Central Illinois for the contest.
Two head coaches we spoke with said their first impression of this area was the hospitality and delicious food the area has to offer.
“Everyone’s been so accommodating, everyone in the hotels. We gone out to eat in various locations and everyone’s been so welcoming, so kind. So on top of that, just really, really welcoming,” said Amy Vanwagenen, the head dance coach of Geneva High School.
“We went to Biaggi’s for dinner which was awesome. They had awesome service. It was really really great so it’s been a really great experience for us,” said Hailey Kruis, the head dance coach of the Glenbard South Raider Dance Team.
Competitive dance was first recognized by IHSA in 2012.
With all the families and teams visiting Bloomington-Normal, estimates are saying, they brought roughly $842,000 to the area.
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