On January 10th, 2026 at 9:00 am, Heritage hosted their annual Dance Invitational, which is the first competition in the series of dance competitions this year. Over 30 teams showed up to participate in multiple different areas across the board. Primarily varsity teams attended, including Heritage’s own 5-Star Dance Team. That being said, there were also four additional JV teams that attended as well. The price to participate was $300 for the first routine, along with $50 for any additional routine. This seems high for all non-dancers, but this is actually the average price for these competitions.
Both JV and varsity teams competed in a variety of sections, ranging from 2A3A to A for varsity and 4A5A to A for JV. These sections describe the amount of
people who will be dancing during each routine.
There are a wide range of areas to compete in when it comes to the song and dance, including a hip-hop based routine and a contemporary based routine. Because each team can only do one routine in this specific competition, it’s vital to choose one that best fits your team’s strengths, while still challenging them. The Generals competed in the hip-hop area and managed a score of 93.5, making them the winners in their area. The scoring is based on a new rubric this year and focuses on areas like the difficulty of the dance, the choreography, transitions, and tricks that you do in your routine. Because of the change in rubric, it’s so awesome that the Generals still managed to win in their competition.
Compared to other competitions, this one seemed to run more smoothly. Morgan White, a senior dancer, said, “A lot of us already knew how to work it, and compared to last year and the other years before, we were on time for the whole competition and everything.”
The 5-Star Dance Team is such an amazing team to be on, as it sparks camaraderie between people who may have not previously met outside of the team. The team gets you involved in something in the school and allows you to grow as a person while still contributing something to the school. The Generals have done such a good job making an impact at their first competition, so if you see them in the halls, make sure to congratulate them!
