Poly Prep saw one of the largest groups of people on campus in the past two years on October 16 at Homecoming. Typically the biggest event, Homecoming brings together many members of the community—current students, alumni, families, or even prospective families— for family-friendly activities (such as a pumpkin patch, rock-climbing wall, and a mechanical bull), sports games, and performances by the dance team and step team. This year, preparing for the dance team’s performance looked very different in comparison to previous years. 

As one of three co-captains for the dance team this year, I found preparing for the show was difficult but rewarding. The first problem we faced was having a much smaller team than usual. A team that was made up of 18 dancers in 2020 has diminished to just seven. Although COVID halted many aspects of our lives last year, it didn’t prevent the natural cycle of seniors graduating each year. Dancers graduated and COVID prevented the team from being able to promote the club and hold auditions for new dancers. 

The team felt discouraged, afraid that seven dancers would not be able to fill up all the space on the field or that the team would look too “small,” but we were determined to give a great performance. On top of all the other hardships, we struggled to find practice time that did not conflict with sports practices or other commitments. Moreover, we faced transportation issues, which prevented students from staying past the late buses until 7:30 p.m., the normal practice time.

Even with all the challenges, the dancers did a commendable job. They found time to rehearse and choreograph, and they made the first Homecoming back even more special!