It’s competition season and the Marquesas are putting the gold in ‘purple and gold’

MVHS’s Marquesas have done the school proud. Scoring first place multiple times in the past couple of competitions at Homestead High School and Bella Vista High School, they are literally at the top of their game. But as the CalStates competition approaches, the Marquesas have to work to stay there.

“Of course I’m so proud of the team,” officer junior Camille Mol said. “We worked really hard, and we got what we deserved. So our goal is to stay on top and not let all these first places make us too confident.”

According to Dance Team advisor Hilary Maxwell, their main goals for the competition will be for personal growth and for some of their scores to improve even further, especially in showmanship. In competition, dancers are judged for their routine construction, which consists of execution and showmanship. Execution has always been alright for the Marquesas, but they’re focusing on having fun with the routines and bringing out that energy.

“The vibe at the first competition was awesome, we were on top of the world,” Maxwell said. “The energy at the last one was slightly down because they were on the road, and they arrived at Sacramento at 5 a.m.”

Despite their unfortunate lack of rest, the Marquesas still put on a proper show, wow-ing the judges and bringing home great scores. Some of their best moments in competition were in their nationally acclaimed kick routine and in the fun character routine.

“As much as I love all [the] other routines, character is different,” Mol said. “We have an 80’s wedding theme so half the team are girls and the other half are boys. We get really into it and always have a lot of fun dancing [the routine] because they’re not typical dance moves. I think the judges can also connect to this routine a lot because they lived in the 80’s so they recognize all the moves.”

It’s routines such as these that the Marquesas count on to be audience favorites. However, as they have been working on their showmanship, the judges will be impressed by a lot more than one or two routines. Showmanship is an attitude, not just a skill, that the Dance Team hopes to inculcate in upcoming competition.

“This week, we’re here at [MVHS], we’re on our home turf,” Maxwell said, “so we’re hoping to return to that energy level and do our best.”