Pleasantville dancers perform on Caribbean cruise – Journal Express

The Pleasantville High School dance team performed routines in a different location than previous years: on the Royal Caribbeans Majesty of the Sea cruise ship.

The dance team performed four routines on the cruise and scored 91 out of 100 points, giving the dancers an award of the highest honor of superior gold.

Katelyn Sandholdt, a junior, has been dancing since she was 7-years-old. She said the dance team usually goes to Disney World, but decided this year to take the dance team on a cruise to the Caribbean.

The dance team typically do a performance trip every two years. Previously, the dance team has performed eight performances at Disney World.

I feel it was a good experience for us, because it was something different than going to Disney World which we did the previous times, Sandholdt said.

Sandholdt said performing on the cruise was different from what they are used to. The stage was smaller and rocky.

Pleasantville Dance coach Lois Turnage said the road crew dancers on the cruise said they call it ship rock.

To prepare for a smaller stage the dancers set out cones on the gym floor replicating the same size of the stage on the ship.

When we got there we had an hour to practice and get used to dancing on a ship, Sandholdt said.

Junior Kylee Vanhallen has been dancing for close to four years. She said she loved the experience and wasnt nervous having people watching her perform.

It is easier performing in front of people I have never met, Vanhallen said. So, I wasnt nervous.

She did say she was a little nervous performing on a stage that was considerably smaller.

Kayleigh Lewis, a junior, who has been dancing for three years, said it was fun because it was a different experience from Disney.

Its not something a lot of people get to do, Lewis said.

Lewis said it was a little nerve racking because she said they were all afraid they would get sick from being on the ship. She said that no one did and it was not that bad.

Taylor Ripperger, a sophomore, said she was a little nervous getting on a cruise ship, but was not nervous dancing in front of people on the cruise.

I have been dancing in front of people for a long time, Ripperger said. I have been dancing since I was 2.

Mikayla Clary a senior, has been dancing since she was 11-years-old.

Clary said she felt the dance group learned a lot dancing on a stage that is more confined from what they are used to, which is a gym floor.

Morgan Thorpe, a senior has been dancing since the age of 2. She said the experience was awesome.

The coolest thing was the different things you can do with dance, and the jobs people have on a cruise ship, Thorpe said.

The Royal Caribbean dance cast was doing a little recruiting amongst the dancers, saying, We would like to see you at one of our auditions, Turnage said.

Turnage said she was surprised at all the diversity on the ship. She was told there were 26 different countries on the ship.

The crowd of people who came to watch the dancers were from all over the world, Turnage said.

It was a wonderful way to represent Pleasantville and Iowa, Turnage continued. It was a broadening experience for the girls.

Ethan Goetz can be reached at reporter@pellachronicle.com or by calling the newsroom at 641-842-2155. Follow him on Twitter @Ethan_Goetz.

Ethan Goetz is a general assignment reporter for the Knoxville Journal-Express. He can be reached in the newsroom at 641-842-2155, ext. 19, or via email at reporter@pellachronicle.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ethan_Goetz.

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Pleasantville dancers perform on Caribbean cruise - Journal Express