Although the Jacksonville J’ettes dance team is technically referred to as a winter sport, their season begins with practices occurring during summer, fall, and winter seasons. With only a short break from late February to April, the J’ettes are dancing year round. This past school year, the J’ettes began practicing for their upcoming competition season as early as August. Once the J’ettes were officially considered “in season,” they were well-equipped with two strong competition routines: a traditional pom dance routine and a creative jungle-themed jazz routine.

The J’ettes anticipated to start competing on January 14 at Clinton High School. However, due to unpredictable weather, the whole team was not permitted to travel the two-hour distance. Fortunately, the soloist routines were still able to ride individually to the competition and compete against other solo routines from all around Illinois. From Jacksonville, juniors Emilie Bezler and Anna Bezler took the risk to compete their solos for the first time. Solos are usually choreographed by the soloists themselves. Emilie choreographed an upbeat and fun jazz routine featuring stunts and difficult turn sequences. Anna created a beautiful lyrical routine to compliment her musicality and lines. Ultimately, Emilie placed first at this competition with a qualification to the state competition and Anna placed second.

At the following competition on January 29 in Mattoon, the J’ettes were finally able to compete their two competition routines along with Anna’s and Emilie’s solos and an additional solo choreographed and performed by Regan Davis. Emilie was first to compete, then Anna followed by Regan. Emilie received first and a qualification for her solo again, Anna received second along with a qualification, and Regan received fourth qualifying to state as well. Next up to compete for the J’ettes was their Pom Dance. Choreographed by co-captains Olivia Lee and Emilie Bezler with the help of Lauren Bezler, this routine was based around the theme of “work,” featuring a mix of songs related to working and money. Each routine is judged by an artistic judge, so it is important for the dances to follow a theme in hopes to boost their artistic scores. Overall, these routines tend to be more entertaining as well. The J’ettes received first place with this routine in the AA category and qualified for state. The jazz routine choreographed by Emilie Bezler received fourth place. After removing the cage prop from the jazz routine, its score increased drastically to first place at the Tuscola competition receiving a qualification to state.

This past Saturday, February 11, the J’ettes finished off their season by competing all of their routines at the IDTA State Competition at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. Emilie Bezler was named first runner up for Miss IDTA with her solo and Regan received 5th place. The J’ettes also placed second with their Pom Dance and fifth with their Jazz.

Tryouts for next year’s Jacksonville J’ettes season will be taking place at the end of the 2017 school year. For more information, be on the lookout for specific dates around the school or in the announcements.