HCHS Dance Team earns Division I ratings at state competition
Phoenix Brewer, Hailey Strom, Brylee Dotzler during the Pom competition. (Mike Wohlhutter photos)
DES MOINES — The HCHS Dance Team earned two Division I ratings at the Iowa State Dance & Drill Team Association’s (ISDTA) State Championships in Des Moines last week.
The team performed in both the Pom and Hip Hop categories. The Pom team placed fifth in their class, while the Hip Hop team finished ninth.
Despite a long season marked by injuries, Coach Bre Fuhs said she is proud of the team’s performance.
“The girls really tried hard,” she said. “They were full of energy and confident. They really enjoyed themselves.”
The HCHS Dance Team members participating at state included Pom: Annabelle Gaul (senior), Kori Smith (senior), Bailee Arkfeld (junior), Braelyn McDowell (sophomore), Brylee Dotzler (sophomore), Phoenix Brewer (freshman), and Hailey Strom (freshman); and Hip Hop: Annabelle Gaul (senior), Kori Smith (senior), Braelyn McDowell (sophomore), Brylee Dotzler (sophomore), Phoenix Brewer (freshman), and Hailey Strom (freshman).
Freshman McKenna Wohlhutter also planned to dance in both routines but was sidelined with a knee injury this fall and required surgery. Sophomore Aubry Christensen is also a member of the dance team. She participates in home events but did not attend state this year.
Tryouts for the dance team are held in the spring. Once the team is selected, a choreographer begins work on routines for the state competition. This year, a former HCHS Dance Team member choreographed the state routines.
“We got to bring back a Harlan Dance Team graduate, Isabelle Gaul (class of 2023),” Fuhs said. Gaul, a member of the dance team at South Community College in Creston, also performed at ISDTA.
“Isabelle was a great leader on the team my first year as a coach, and she has really blossomed at SWCC,” Fuhs said. “It was really neat seeing her passion and talent in the two great routines she gave the girls to compete with.”
Once school begins, the team focuses on performances at home games, learning what they call “stingers,” choreography that can be performed to multiple song choices.
Fuhs said that with team members involved in multiple activities, finding time to practice can be challenging. The girls often meet twice a week at 6 a.m., and as state approaches, additional evening practices are added.
“We struggle to find a good time to practice,” she said. “It’s hard to find time between other activities.”
In addition to the state competition, the team performed at the 2025 Ella & Maddie Showcase on Saturday, Nov. 8. “It was good to get judges’ feedback before the state competition,” Fuhs said. The team also hosted a youth dance camp in November.
Now that the state competition is over, the dancers will concentrate on performances during home doubleheader basketball games.
“It’s a long season,” Fuhs said. In her third year with HCHS Dance Team, she added that she is proud of the girls. “They work extremely hard. Many dance outside the team and are often battling injuries. It’s a lot of wear and tear on their bodies.”
In addition to their Division I ratings at state, the team also earned the Distinguished Academic Award for maintaining a GPA between 3.5 and 4.0.
“The girls are great at balance,” Fuhs said. “They are doing a lot of extra things and doing them well.”
Team members performing in the Pom competition were Bailee Arkfeld, Annabelle Gaul, Kori Smith, Phoenix Brewer, Brylee Dotzler.
HCHS Dance Team members participating in the Hip Hop competition at the Iowa State Dance & Drill Team Association’s State Championships included (front to back, left to right): Brylee Dotzler, Braelyn McDowell, Annabelle Gaul, Phoenix Brewer, Kori Smith, Hailey Strom.
