Sparking the SPARKLE at Hillside

Auxiliary teams are another form of dancing. They use flags, batons, twirling, and etc. They have proper technique and more flexibility skills. They require determination, skill, confidence, and will power. Hillside High’s auxiliary team named S.P.A.R.K.L.E, has all of that and more. The coach Ms. Raney has explained that the girls don’t require flexibility during auditions and she mostly looks for determination. They earned one of their many first place trophies at a Charlotte band competition named Spirit of the Cardinal. She expects the girls to keep an open mind to learn different things, always have a positive mindset, maintain their GPA and to perform like you should in front of a crowd.

Ms. Raney attended college at NCCU (North Carolina Central University). She said that she has been dancing for over 20 years and danced for NCCU for 4 years. She stated that she wants to get away from the bucking and teach more technique and classy routine for the team. It creates confident young women and teaches them to be young ladies and have poise. The team also dresses and performs symmetrical to each other. They only have 4 main colors that they perform in which are the school’s colors navy blue, white, gray, and silver but silver is the main color. Ms. Raney makes sure the outfits aren’t too revealing and fits everybody’s types. She makes sure they are prepared on and off the field.

Overall they always have positive attitudes and stay focused while having fun! They help each other when someone needs it, they push even harder when they practice and they keep practicing until everybody is on the same page and they encourage each other. Ms. Raney and the other dance instructors are driven to make sure they perform well and during practice the band wears white and black while the dancers wear all black. They also had a competition last Saturday against the schools in Fayetteville named Gotham City where they won first place!