The Simpson College Dance Team is hosting a kid’s dance clinic, where future Storm dancers will learn a short routine and perform it during halftime at the Sept. 23 football game against Wartburg.
Typically, this clinic happens in the spring alongside the Spring Show. Instead, they are hosting this fall clinic for kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Members of the dance team and the choreography captain will help teach and guide the children to create a short and creative performance for the game.
Senior dance captain Megan Hall looks forward to seeing the kids learn the dance and showcase their skills. “I love coming up with dances for little kids because you get to challenge them, but also see them have so much fun while trying to learn new things,” she said.
The chosen music will be a Kidz Bop song, followed by a simple routine that focuses on listening to the lyrics and timing of the song. “We’re going to try to incorporate some simpler moves as well as some more challenging moves for everyone to have fun,” Hall added.
The dance team coach, Lindsay Kline, is also excited about the upcoming clinic. This is her fifth year as the dance coach for Simpson, and she also has previous experience with the college and coaching. Kline attended Simpson, was on the dance team for four years, and graduated in 2016. Later, she was the coach for Indianola High School for two years before taking the position here.
“I also have several years of experience teaching dance at my hometown studio back in Omaha, and did choreography for high school teams in Iowa in addition to choreography for the team at Simpson,” Kline said.
Because the dance coach and choreography captain both have experience organizing clinics, it will make this performance very entertaining.
Hall recalls partaking in clinics when she was younger and is looking forward to making a personal connection with the participating kids.
“I did clinics like this when I was little, too, so it’s cool to see these kids perform in front of an audience because I remember loving that and looking up to the girls in charge. It’s cool to reverse the role after all these years,” she said.
The team dancers and children will meet on Friday, Sept. 22 to practice and learn the routine before the halftime show Saturday. They plan to do a short practice run-through before the group goes on the field to perform as well.