The athletics department is a vital part of the CESJDS community, with 15 sports teams that compete in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) across all three sport seasons. All of these sports have tryouts, coaches and weekly practices. Where does the dance team fit into all of this?
The dance team works the same way as every sport in JDS’ athletics program. We have tryouts, a coach, weekly practices and a practice team which is similar to other sports’ junior varsity (JV) teams. We also have the same social benefits that all sports programs do, as we are not only physically active, but also promote crucial teamwork and leadership skills.
I have been a member of the varsity dance team since my freshman year and am now one of the captains. However, in all of my years on the team, we have had limited opportunities to perform for the school and no opportunities to perform or compete outside of school, as other sports teams at JDS do.
For many years, the varsity dance team has received limited support from the athletics department. We practice in the cafeteria with distorted mirrors, impacting our view and evaluation of our movements. At times, we are forced to practice in the hallway or outside when the cafeteria is occupied, which gets more difficult each year, as the dance team continues to grow.
Although last year the dance team was given the opportunity to practice once a week at the Bender JCC and will continue to do so this upcoming season, there is still room for growth and opportunity in JDS’ dance program.
“I think dance is one of those sports that unfortunately gets left behind because it’s one of those things where most people who dance do it outside of school, and so they don’t necessarily need to do it at school … not many schools offer dance programs at all,” Director of Athletics Becky Silberman said.
Unfortunately, the PVAC does not include dance in its program and does not offer any competitions. However, the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS) holds a dance festival in Baltimore each year. The festival is for dance groups from grades six through twelve, and is held on a Sunday this year, making it accessible for the JDS dance team to perform, as it does not conflict with Shabbat.
Although JDS, along with other schools who are part of the PVAC, falls under the category of an AIMS school, JDS has never been aware of nor invited to attend this event. The athletics department should advocate on behalf of the dance program to be included in this event and research the possibilities of having the JDS varsity dance team participate in events around the DMV as well.
Even if the dance team is unable to participate in outside of school dance events, JDS should at least be more open to allowing the dance team to perform within the school.

Although we have performed at a few basketball games and boys volleyball games during halftime, having more opportunities to perform at sporting events would be a great way to expand the dance team’s presence and bring more attention to the team.
Kab Shab should be a guaranteed event for the dance team to perform at. Most years, the dance team only performs at two Kab Shab’s on Fridays because Kab Shab performances are usually overbooked. The team should have priority when it comes to performing in front of students and faculty, as we put in just as much time, effort and commitment as all the other sports teams and activities at school.
As the dance team continues to grow and expand each year, so should its opportunities and resources. It’s time to shed more light on our group and allow us to spread joy to the JDS community through our performances.