As many teachers and students across Jennings county relax for the summer, others are participating in year-round activities. One activity some students are participating in is dance classes.
One is Hope Diekhoff, a two-year participant in the dance team known as the Pantherettes.
The Pantherettes is a dance team for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students that teaches them to cooperate and showcases their skills. A student has to be in sixth grade or above to try out for the team. Tryouts for the Pantherettes are in April. Students get a week to learn a dance, and they are divided into groups the following Saturday to perform it.
Once someone is on the team, they can expect to practice throughout summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Jennings County Middle School gymnasium.
The dances the students learn are varied and stylized; jazz and hip-hop, for example, are often reflected on and infused into their programs.
“I like learning to dance, and it’s fun to spend time with my friends. I also like to learn the basics of a dance and then work up levels. We’re learning the basics for our first football game right now,” Diekhoff said about being on the Pantherettes.
