As the lights shine bright upon the crisp, darkening night at Gupton Stadium, the Emeralds prepare to take the field. This marks their first performance in five years, and with a brand-new routine to showcase, they are ready to make their mark. Their opponent: a crowd just shy of 4,000 people. The pressure is on, and the stakes are high.

For the first time since 2020, the JV dance team, the Emeralds, is making a return to the dance program. The program is designed to allow students to perform and be part of a team, learning and growing their dance skill levels, without the higher commitment of being on the Celebrities.

The program, led by Director Katie Thompson, has 17 members, ranging from sophomores to seniors. Performances thus far have included the varsity football game against Harker Heights, as well as two JV games, with practices held during class on B days.

“[At practices], we run our dances, polish the routines, and practice technique,” Thompson said. “I always tell the dancers that they need to practice how they will perform.”

There are still two varsity games and two JV games left for the Emeralds to perform at, along with a girls’ basketball game and the dance department’s holiday show this winter. In the spring semester, they will have their contests and spring show. In addition to Thompson, junior and Assistant Director Cassie Rico is also very involved within the group.

“The most important thing that the directors and I like to do is remind them how hard they’ve been working and how proud they should be of themselves and to be part of this team,” Rico said. “Dancing is not easy. It takes all of your time and commitment, so you have to really love it to be doing it.”

When the Emeralds aren’t performing at football games, they spend time rehearsing and getting ready for their next performance. Sophomore dancer Sutton Reid has recently taken up a leadership position within the team and said that being closer to leadership has helped her be closer to the team as a whole.

“My officer position is leading the team by leading them down a good path and making sure everyone is on time and doing what they need to do,” Reid said. “Also, that they’re doing their job as a team, and I also need to make sure I’m doing a job for the team.”

Sophomore Emerald Parker Butler is also preparing for the upcoming season with the team, and she said she is working to manage nerves and maintain focus for a performance. Butler said on performance days, the atmosphere is very calm, but everybody is super positive, and she has a good time.

“Just knowing that I’m with a group of people that are super supportive and that we’ve worked so hard to put out, makes me confident in what we’re gonna do,” Butler said. “Focusing on what we put out, so we know everything that we’re going to do is really important.”

During their practices, the Emeralds focus on learning new routines or practicing current ones to help them prepare for the upcoming football game. Butler said they always stay prepared, whether it’s getting into hair and makeup or hyping themselves up before their performance.

“Honestly, we don’t really talk about the performance,” Butler said. “We talk about other things before to get our minds off of the fact that we’re performing in front of a bunch of people.”

According to Rico, they spend a lot of time working towards enhancing their mental and physical strength, and they are ready to face anything that is thrown their way.