Panthers dance team to compete at state in La Crosse on Feb. 3

For Ellsworth first-year dance team head coach Melissa Gutting, the success of the 2022-23 season is measured by trust, growth and roster development more than trophies and championships, although the Panthers have had no shortage of hardware this season.

Ellsworth’s dance team features two distinct seasons that span from August to February. The first is fall dance, which is a roster that is a bit more casual and has more girls than the competitive team which is currently in the final week of its season, although there is significant overlap between the two seasons.

The 2022-23 fall dance team roster had 15 girls, eight of which were returners and seven who were new to the team. Five of those seven girls were incoming freshmen getting their first taste of varsity dance. For coach Gutting, it was a perfect balance between fresh faces in the program and experienced returners ready to take the reins and lead the program into the future.

Ellsworth seniors Macy Gutting and Kylie Knutson were voted by the team as the captains for the season. Macy Gutting and Knutson are two of the most experienced athletes in program history and have been dancing together since they were nine years old.

In addition to those two, seniors Audrey Farrell and RaeAnna Smith, as well as junior Corynn Jahnke, have provided valuable leadership to the dancers new to the program. Coach Melissa Gutting spoke about those five dancers and their leadership that has made this year so special.

“Our captains Macy Gutting and Kylie Knutson have risen as strong leaders within the group early on,” Melissa Gutting said. “These dancers all lead with kindness and lead by example. They are the first to the gym and the last to leave, spreading positivity amongst the team and leadership in our community as well. When asked to volunteer for fundraising or optional practices, these leaders show up and never give up. True team spirit.”

Ellsworth’s mix of veteran dancers and young, eager-to-learn freshmen quickly meshed into a team with a lot of potential. Their first performance of the season was at the football team’s home opener with a routine choreographed by the coaching staff.

The following two home game performances were choreographed completely by the girls on the team without the assistance of the coaching staff. Doing so in front of packed home football crowds was a risk, but the girls on the roster and the coaching staff had enough trust in one another to take that leap of faith with the opportunity for growth.

Trust and growth quickly became a theme for the Ellsworth Panthers dance team throughout the 2022-23 season. Coach Melissa Gutting spoke about how trust became a central theme to this year’s team.

“When we chose our ‘team core value’ for the season, the word that was chosen by the team was trust,” Gutting said. “We have been weaving trust into everything that we have been doing this season, both fall and comp seasons. Trusting the process and watching each other grow and get better. Trusting each other during the performances, trusting the coaches when we give them new challenges and obstacles to overcome.”

With the level of trust built between girls on the roster and the Ellsworth coaching staff, the Panthers turned into more of a family than anything else. When someone is struggling and needs help, others are there to pick her up. Gutting spoke about how close this group is.

“When one dancer can’t quite get a particular dance step, or trick, the team and fellow dancers quickly jump to work together to give pointers, and cheer them on, reconfirming that they are each other’s biggest fans,” Coach Gutting said. “They are tough on each other, but also are extremely protective of each other. Like a family of sorts. A little dance family.”

Ellsworth’s trust and family-like team atmosphere served as a catalyst for growth that led to competition success in the latter half of the year. The Panthers performed well at several massive competitions, including the Menomonie Holiday Classic, UW-Eau Claire’s FireUp, Conference at Rice Lake and Regionals at D.C. Everest. Coach Gutting spoke about her competitive team’s success this year.

“We measure our success in so many different ways,” Gutting said. “We have won several awards and top honors, but watching this team and how they are together and how they trust each other, even if the dance isn’t performed perfectly, well, it’s an honor to be their coach.”

While the team as a whole always performed well, Ellsworth’s dance soloists were truly elite. The Panthers’ soloists included Macy Gutting, Farrell, Jahnke, and sophomore Isabelle Pechacek.

All four soloists earned awards at every competition this year and three of them, Macy Gutting, Farrell, and Jahnke performed well enough at regionals to advance to the state competition in La Crosse on Friday, Feb. 3. Farrell and Jahnke also took fourth with their duet.

Ellsworth will compete in the state championship as a team in the Division 3 Hip Hop event and the Division 5 Pom competition, in addition to the Panthers’ three soloists. Coach Gutting spoke about the expectations for the state competition.

“Our expectations for state are to enjoy every moment, give it your all, leave it all on the floor,” Gutting said. “These are the moments that you will remember for the rest of your life, but when you look around, these are the people that you will remember too. We deserve to be there just as much as the next team, and we are so proud of them for working so hard to get here.”

The Ellsworth High School competitive dance team celebrates with the team and individual awards alike at the regional competition at D.C. Everest High School on Saturday, Jan. 28. Photo courtesy of Ellsworth High School Dance