Spectators are treated to the glamorous side of Drill Team Hawaii shows, but members know it takes work, talent and dedication to make the team.
The young members of
Drill Team Hawaii devote
life to dance
Imagine a life of fame, accolades and awards. Of performing in gorgeous costumes before thousands of cheering fans. Oh, the glamour of it all. We could all stand some of that, couldn't we? Of course, but the rewards of a "glamorous life" aren't exactly what you'd think. Ask the folks at Drill Team Hawaii, the lauded 93-member precision dance team, about life at the top.
"When the families first come in, we ask them to be committed for a year," says Drill Team owner and director Penny Young. That way, she says, students and parents get a good feel for what it means to be part of the team. For many, those first 12 months are quite the eye-opening experience.
"Just One Dream"
Drill Team Hawaii 2004 Dance Showcase:Features: 140 team dancers and prep class students with special guests Chrissy Naruo, Shelsey Ai of Hula Halau Olana; Marcelo Pacleb's dancers of 24-7 Dance Force; and the Dancing Dads
Where: Hawaii Theatre, 1130 Bethel St.
When: 7 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $17
Call: 528-0506
Auditions coming up
Drill Team Hawaii will hold auditions for two weeks starting Monday at St. Andrews Priory.Auditions are open to girls in preschool through high school. Preschoolers and Kindergarteners must know how to do cartwheels and splits to audition. Older girls must have dance experience.
Drill Team also offers classes for girls 3 to 7.
For more information, call Penny Young at 395-8490.
Anyone who has visions of instant stardom will be in for a surprise. Garnering a place on the team begins with tryouts. If you're one of the lucky girls, that coveted spot means four hours of ballet, gymnastics, jazz and dance routines to learn every week. Some girls take additional classes to hone their skills. Parents can expect to spend several hundred dollars on those dazzling costumes each year, as well as raise funds by manning a food concession at the Stan Sheriff Center and selling Christmas trees every holiday season.
The funds allow for travel to competitions to win all those awards. And this is all in addition to Drill Team fees.
In other words, so much for "glamour." Making the team takes commitment, determination and lots of hard work.
The razzle-dazzle of Drill Team is really for its audiences, who see the girls dance, twirl and somersault at athletic events, parades, parties and its annual dance showcase, the culmination of a year's work. This year's showcase, "Just One Dream," will be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Hawaii Theatre.
SO WHAT are the payoffs? Ultimately, a number of Drill Team girls can win dance scholarships that help fund their college educations. Some might find professional dance work. In the interim, members learn values. The most basic, Young says, is discipline. And lots of it.
"These girls learn at a very early age that there are rules, and if you break them, you don't stay on the team," she says. "I think kids like rules and limitations. They come to expect discipline of themselves and each other. They learn the importance of being a team."
Teamwork at Drill Team includes the responsibility of being a role model, and it's taken seriously by all involved. In fact, while Drill Team's high school dancers each have mentoring responsibility for one younger teammate, even the 5- and 6-year-olds strive to set a good example for the preschoolers.
"My daughter's an only child," says Neal Miyake of 8-year-old Taryn, a five-year veteran of Drill Team. "I like the sisterhood that Drill Team provides. There's always someone to look up to."
At St. Andrews Priory dance studio, Clarissa Koga and other members of Drill Team Hawaii rehearsed for the group's 31st annual show, "Showcase 2004."
Despite the toil, or likely because of it, Drill Team is an effort its girls return for season after season. Team members can begin as young as 3 years old in "prep classes" and continue through high school. Every girl must re-audition annually for a spot on the team.
"We don't have a big turnover," Young says of her dancers. "This year, we have three seniors. Two have been with us for 12 years, the other for 11 years."
For toddlers and teens, Young says, Drill Team is a place where the girls "can feel safe, a place where they belong. They know they're important here."
For Miyake, the character the team cultivates in its members is worth all the money and effort he puts forth.
"It's not just about dancing," he stresses. "It's about always striving to do your best. They teach the girls values, and the girls really give that extra effort."
Young agrees: "Yes, they learn to dance here. But more important, they learn to deal with life. They know that they can accomplish something, that they're of worth. I think that's why they stay."
Drill Team Hawaii
www.drillteamhawaii.com
Youngest members are mentored by teammates.
Sasha Dee Dayoan leaps high as Drill Team Hawaii members go through a minimum of four hours a week of drills involving ballet, gymnastics, jazz dance and other exercise routines.
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Team has thrived for
more than 3 decadesThe daughter of a dancer, Penny Young came to Hawaii from Utah more than 30 years ago to teach at Brigham Young University. She eventually ended up at teaching dance at St. Andrew's Priory, where she started a school drill team that would evolve into her own venture, Drill Team Hawaii.
That was 31 years ago. Today, Young, a lifelong dancer, runs the team with daughter Febray Kaopua, the team's choreographer. Kaopua, a former Drill Team member, attended Utah State on a dance scholarship.
Drill Team Hawaii, which blends choreography, precision dance techniques and gymnastics, has been highly successful at national and international competitions. It has taken first place for several routines in world competitions and won second place in ESPN's sports drill team competition.
In "The Contest of Champions" in Florida this spring, Drill Team Hawaii earned awards for seven routines -- five routines took first place and two won second place.
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