Success at Henry Sibley High School

Bringing up a New Generation

By Joseph Dill

Last year, my friend Dillon and I started a ballroom dance club at our high school, Henry Sibley, in the Twin Cities. At the outset, I didn’t have very high expectations. I figured there would be little interest at our school, and that club meetings would basically just be a bunch of kids trying to recreate random dance styles and moves they saw on the internet or learned that one time they went to a quinceañera.

But, given that I'm now writing this article I think it’s safe to say my prediction was completely inaccurate. Today, Henry Sibley’s Ballroom Dance Club has regular weekly practices led by an instructor who actually knows what she’s talking about, and the club has learned all basic rhythm and smooth dance styles, and (new this year) is participating in competitions! Roughly 15 members of our club competed at Minnesota Ballroom Blast this past fall and assuming our hectic, overcommitted high school schedules allow it,we hope to have just as many, if not more participate at Dance Fest. We have a ton of fun, and have learned quite bit.

But, we must give credit where credit is due. The growth, and success of this club is due in part… *correction, the success of this club would not have been possible without the diligent work of Karen Maldonado and Kate Bratt, as well as the generosity of U Partner Dance.

Karen, an alumna of both Henry Sibley and the University of Minnesota Ballroom Dance team, has not only voluntarily but wholeheartedly stepped up as the leader and organizer of our club. From the time the club was still just a random idea, she has worked hard meeting with us about club logistics, communicating with our sponsor, scheduling and rescheduling with Kate, getting us registered for competitions, and so so much more. She has far surpassed any of our requests or expectations, and for this we owe her a big THANK YOU!

We would also like to thank Kate Bratt for her efforts. Despite being a mother of five and coach of dancers far more talented than us, Kate has still made our club a priority, making the trek out to Henry Sibley every Thursday night (even on days off school!) to teach a bunch of high school weirdos how to dance: and she does a fantastic job. Kate has an overwhelmingly supportive and positive attitude, and finds a way to connect with each club member individually. Every week is both challenging and fun for regular attendees and newcomers alike. I’ll also add that thanks to her we are actually learning how to ballroom dance, with correct steps and technique, as opposed to aimlessly teaching ourselves as I originally envisioned. We love Kate very much, and are very thankful that she signed on to be our coach.

And finally, thank you to U Partner Dance. Because of their generosity participation in Ballroom Dance Club at Henry Sibley is free of charge. Thanks to U Partner Dance, any student who has a ride home is welcome to come in and learn to ballroom dance. They also provided scholarships for students who were unable to cover the cost of Blast, giving them an opportunity to participate that they would not have otherwise had. So on behalf of myself and my fellow club members, I would like to thank them for their generosity.

Though I graduated this spring, I hope that Henry Sibley’s ballroom dance club continues to grow, and that the club’s relationship with U Partner Dance continues to strengthen. The opportunity to participate in this club opened my eyes to an art that I never knew was so complex, yet easy learn, so technically difficult, yet incredibly fun. It is my hope that this opportunity remains easily accessible for future students at my alma matter so that they too can be exposed to something I've come to deeply appreciate and enjoy.