Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union High School
BADGER HIGH SCHOOL ..…………..Principal Russ Tronsen Michael Giovingo ...Associate Principal Jennifer Straus ...Associate Principal
220 E South St Lake Geneva WI 53147 262-348-2000 262-248-6187 (fax) James Gottinger District Administrator
Warren Flitcroft Director of Business Services
Janice Eckola Director or Curriculum & Instruction
Lauren Spierenberg Director of Student Services
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Badger High School Dancers Perform At Chicago International Salsa Congress Lake Geneva, WI – February 15, 2017 – The Badger High School Combining Cultures Dance Company, comprised of 12 girls and 11 boys, danced their way into the 16th annual Chicago International Salsa Congress on February 10. They are the only Wisconsin high school team to earn that recognition. The Chicago International Salsa Congress, held at the Hyatt Regency – O’Hare February 9-12, is the premier Latin music and dance event for the Midwest. It featured four nights and three days of dance workshops, productions and live entertainment. The Badger team performed in the emerging artists showcase, an event that features up and coming dancers. This marks the 8th consecutive year that Badger students were invited to participate.
Badger High School’s Combining Cultures Dance Company performed at the 16th annual Chicago International Salsa Congress on Feb. 10. Pictured from left: Franky Catalog, Edgar Hernandez, Marcus Horch, Sergio Pacheco, Lucas del Arco, Brendon Graham, Alex Ayala, Gerardo Ovalle, Alex Aranda, Anatoly Ushakov, Tommy Barton, Madalyn Wolf, Sabrina Siepler, Jazzmin Blair, Lea Thompson, Risako Homma, Jaidan Scheunemann, Haley Domski, Katie Kaminski, Karen Vega, Dulce Gomez, Katie Varela
“This was such an incredible opportunity for our students and such an honor to be the only Wisconsin group represented,” said David Davila, Badger Spanish teacher and faculty advisor for the group. During their time at the Congress, students also attended a variety of dance workshops taught by renowned professional salsa instructors, and enjoyed live performances and concerts by professional dancers and music groups from around the world. Davila started the Combining Culture club in 2003 as a way to share his love for salsa dancing with others. He also wanted students to explore other cultures, meet new friends and discover and appreciate diversity. Today, the 23-member club, comprised of 12 girls and 11 boys, meets after school four times each week to practice.
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Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union High School
BADGER HIGH SCHOOL ..…………..Principal Russ Tronsen Michael Giovingo ...Associate Principal Jennifer Straus ...Associate Principal
220 E South St Lake Geneva WI 53147 262-348-2000 262-248-6187 (fax) James Gottinger District Administrator
Warren Flitcroft Director of Business Services
Janice Eckola Director or Curriculum & Instruction
Lauren Spierenberg Director of Student Services
Until just recently, Badger has been the only high school in Wisconsin to offer a Latin dance program. Homestead High School in Mequon recently started a club and has reached out to the Badger team for guidance. Badger junior Jaidan Scheunemann has been involved with Combining Cultures for three years and serves as a club captain. She says the group has been a great way to meet new people. She loves how the team works together on and off the dance floor. “It brings so much joy to me. I’ve made new friends, and we all hangout, facetime each other and make a point to say hello in the hallways,” she said. Scheunemann said those friendships have really helped the team members connect better when they dance and they’ve all seen improvements in their skills. That was significant this year since their dance routine was the longest and most challenging in Combining Cultures history. Badger junior Haley Domski, also a club captain and three-time Salsa Congress participant, said they had to learn complex choreography and challenging new moves, including lifts. She said that made her nervous to perform, but once they got to Chicago and started dancing, the experience was amazing. Davila agreed that attending the Salsa Congress was an opportunity like no other. “My dancers got to experience another culture and see how big the Latin dance world really is and the passion that people share,” he said. “That something that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.” Combining Cultures is just one of the 40+ clubs and extra-curricular opportunities offered to Badger High School students, in addition to the wide array of career and technical education classes, athletics, music and fine arts programs. To view a complete listing of programs, please see the Badger Course Guide on LakeGenevaSchools.com or http://bit.ly/BHSCourses17-18 Students who live outside the Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union High School district who are interested in attending Badger High School may apply for open enrollment to the district through April 28 through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website. Visit LakeGenevaSchools.com/Registration for details.
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