Evergreen Park’s competitive dance team shows intensity while finishing sixth in Class 1A in the state dance competition on Saturday in Bloomington. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Intense dance performance nets Evergreen Park sixth place at state finals
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
Actual competitive dancing returned to the state level this year and Evergreen Park’s dancers couldn’t be happier.
The Mustangs are on the rise, and the team enjoyed its highest state finish by placing sixth in Class 1A in the IHSA state meet held Jan. 28-29 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
COVID-19 didn’t eliminate the state competition in 2021, but the postseason was performed virtually. Dance teams filmed a routine and judges scored the performances via video.
It was better than nothing, but it was better to be back performing live for the hundreds of teams across the state.
Evergreen Park was the highest-placing team in the area and the only team to qualify for the top 12.
Mustangs coach Marion Castillo welcomed the return to near normal near the town of Normal.
“It’s amazing to be back,” Castillo said. “It’s amazing for the girls. We only had two who hit the floor [in 2020] and the rest are new, so this was a great experience for them.”
The Mustangs’ sixth-place finish in the state meet was the best in the program’s history. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Evergreen Park opened the opening night’s session posting an 83.24, good for seventh place and easily making the 12-team finals.
Morris was the preliminary-round leader with a 91.60 and won it all the next day with a 91.58. Montini (91.42) and Highland (91.00) also took trophies home.
This is the fourth time the Mustangs have been to the state meet. They finished 30th in 2014, the second year the meet was held.
After missing out on state for a stretch, they were back in 2020 and placed 10th. Last year, they took 21st in the virtual event.
Placing in state three straight years is historic for the Mustangs. It’s no secret how they got there.
“Hard work and dedication,” Castillo said. “They push themselves to their limits.”
Captains of this year’s team are Kristen Smith and Chloe Reed. Other team members are Trinity Jones, Emani Johnson, Jordan Johnson, McKenna Mason, Molly Miller, Jameia Sharp-Brown, Aaliyah Frazier, Zaria Simmons, Asha Lane, Sofia Esquivel, Jacqueline Ordaz, Mikaela Bolden and Rikaya McCoy.
Some state competitors performed to happy music. Some to sad songs. Evergreen Park’s routine, Rise and Fall, was intense and all the dancers wore paint near their right eyes for a unique effect.
“The theme is more of a battle through life,” Castillo said. “Don’t let anything keep you down. When things are not going your way, you rise up. That’s what we teach them.”
Other area schools at state did not make it to the final day.
Nazareth Academy finished 24th in Class 1A with a 73.18 score.
Richards, making its first state appearance, took 22nd in Class 2A with a 78.10.
Lyons Township placed 23rd in Class 3A with an 81.94.
Evergreen Park performs a routine titled Rise and Fall at the state meet. Photo by Jeff Vorva
1 Comment
Local News
Hair salon with a ‘flair’ marks first year in Chicago Ridge
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Melissa Kowalski wanted to do something meaningful to mark the first-year anniversary of her Flair With Hair Salon in Chicago Ridge. “We did not have a grand opening last year so I wanted to do something really special,” Kowalski said. “We wanted to say thank you to our clients.” Kowalski,…
Palos East fifth-grader wins Scholastic Storyworks writing contest
Spread the loveGabriel Chowaniec, a fifth-grader at Palos East Elementary School, has been named a winner of the Scholastic Storyworks Magazine writing contest. Gabriel, who is a student in Cathy Casey’s fifth-grade classroom, was named one of only five winners nationally for the December 2023/January 2024 competition. Garbriel’s submission for the nonfiction story “The Shattered Land,” “showed a strong understanding of the text along with the ability to author a well-organized…
Shepard celebrates Autism Week
Spread the loveBy Kelly White World Autism Acceptance Week is organized by the National Autistic Society in the first week of April and aims to raise awareness about the challenges autistic people face across all areas of society. Not missing out the opportunity to celebrate all-inclusion was Shepard High School, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos…
Obituaries May 2, 2024
Spread the loveJOANNE GALLAS Joanne Gallas, a beloved figure in her community and a dedicated homemaker, passed away recently, leaving behind a legacy of kindness and devotion. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Joanne dedicated her life to nurturing her family and enriching the lives of the many students she encountered through her work with the Chicago…
Billions of cicadas get ready to raise a racket
Spread the loveBy Kelly White If you haven’t heard the buzz yet, you will soon. With 2024 marking a big year for periodical cicadas in Illinois, billions of the red-eyed buggers will soon be making an appearance. Periodical cicada broods XIII and XIX will be emerging throughout much of the state at the same time.…
‘A man of honor, a beacon of kindness’
Spread the love. Chicago weeps for Officer Luis Huesca . By Tim Hadac People across the Southwest Side shed tears earlier this week, as throngs of police officers and other filled the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel at 77th and Western for a funeral Mass for CPD Officer Luis M. Huesca. Officer Huesca was…
Archer Manor Little League starts its 2024 season
Spread the love. Sunny skies and mild temperatures greeted the boys and girls, moms and dads, umpires and coaches, and everyone else participating in Archer Manor Little League’s Opening Day parade and ceremonies at Archer Park. Since 1952, AMLL has provided athletic opportunities for thousands of boys and girls in Archer Heights, West Elsdon, Central…
Dread over car drifters on streets
Spread the love. Reckless drivers take over SW Side intersections . By Tim Hadac At the April meeting of the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch, a police officer admitted that the drag racing/drifting phenomenon seen and heard in the Midway area in recent years “probably will increase, but we hope not.” The admission was triggered by…
Don’t raise pilots’ retirement age, García says
Spread the love. From staff reports U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th), senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, recently led a letter joined by 121 Members of Congress urging House Democratic leadership to reject any changes to the pilot retirement age in a final version of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill.…
Neighbors
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…
Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com A group of lawmakers and influential environmental advocates are calling for broad changes to the state’s energy industry and a massive increase in state oversight of Chicagoland’s transit system – which faces a projected $730 million budget shortfall. Advocates for the policy platform, which is broken up into…
Democrats flex muscle to kick off final month of session as revenues remain on track
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With about three weeks to go before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its spring legislative session, supermajority Democrats showed their strength this week as fiscal forecasters noted state revenues remain on track. April is typically a make-or-break month for state coffers, as income…
Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com The former Illinois State Trooper who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter of two sisters in 2007 has abandoned his efforts to have a hearing into the restoration of his driving privileges – for now. Matt Mitchell, 45, requested at least two delays in the hearing after he failed…
Capitol Briefs: Senate advances elections bill, measure targeting ‘predatory’ lending
By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would put more controls on certain kinds of high-cost loans to small businesses cleared the Illinois Senate Thursday. Senate Bill 2234, known as the Small Business Financial Transparency Act, targets a relatively new kind of nontraditional lender in the credit…
Law enforcement community honors fallen officers at Illinois Capitol
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Six fallen police officers were honored at an annual memorial service outside the State Capitol Thursday. The Illinois Police Officers Memorial occurs annually on the first Thursday of May to honor officers who died in the line of duty and to support their families. “No one…
Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions
By JERRY NOWICKI HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot. It’s a move that caused minority party…
After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that sought to wipe away the last vestiges of racial discrimination and redlining in America’s home mortgage industry. The idea was simple. By requiring lenders – primarily banks – to make…
Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air
Capitol News Illinois announced today it will produce the long-running “Illinois Lawmakers” program this spring, in partnership with longtime host and producer Jak Tichenor. “This new partnership is absolutely critical to providing Illinois residents with reliable, independent, in-depth, up to date coverage from the Illinois Capitol after many newspapers and broadcasters shuttered their Statehouse bureaus over…
Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated
By ANDREW ADAMS & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A year and a half after Republican Darren Bailey lost his campaign to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker, state election officials are weighing whether he illegally colluded with conservative radio show host and political operative Dan Proft in the 2022 campaign. The State Board…
WOW – EPCHS looks way different from when I went there in 1980…. I’m sure the test score are up too