The Edina High School Hip-Hop team is preparing for their Homecoming Pepfest performance. This routine is one of the biggest of the year, and the dancers could not be more excited. Jess Lynn, the longtime coach and choreographer of the team, said she is most looking forward to the upcoming Homecoming game, the Timberwolves performance, and seeing what the seniors come up with for this year’s tradition.
The Homecoming game draws out a huge audience full of community members and EHS students. According to senior and captain Elsa Anderson, not everyone can handle the nerves of performing in front of their peers.
“It makes you more self-conscious, and you just think about how people are going to perceive you,” Anderson said.
But after three years of performing at the game, her mindset has changed. “It’s just fun to be part of the event, rather than just watching it,” Anderson said.
Anderson isn’t the only senior who has grown accustomed to performing in front of a massive crowd. Senior and three-year veteran team member Natalie Mosakowski has also come to love performing in the arena.
“By the time we’re in front of people, I’m super comfortable with it,” Mosakowski said. “We can use the energy from the [crowd] to make our performance better.”
Though the Pepfest and Homecoming game can be a hectic time for the team, it serves as a great bonding moment.
“[Before we go on] we do a little warm-up routine, and then we huddle up and hype each other up. It’s pretty fun,” Mosakowski said.
After four years, Anderson had this to say of the team. “The team is perfect if you’re looking for a smaller, more chill environment for dance at school,” she said. “It feels more like a club than a team.”
