Most sports teams have an established tradition of practice and performance, to the point where players years apart have nearly identical experiences. The Oak Park High School dance team is an outlier to this pattern: over the past three years, it’s undergone rapid change, requiring initiative and flexibility from the team’s leaders. One of the people stepping up to this demand is senior captain Jaci Chung. 

Chung joined the team as a freshman, one of only two on the roster. During her first two years on the team, practices were lighter and took place twice a week, but by Chung’s junior year, large changes were underway. 

“In 11th grade, we started competing, which was really fun, new and exciting,” Chung said. “It was more of a trial just to see if we liked the competitive environment and stuff. But this year it’s a lot more serious. We’re doing like, six dances. We practice pretty much every day: on Sundays, on Fridays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.”

For Chung, the increased commitment was rewarding: she says it brought her closer to her teammates over the course of the year. 

“Even though the transition was hard for me and the team, it just makes us stronger,” Chung said. “It’s helped me become more motivated and more of a hard worker because you have to realize you have to do it for your team.”

One of the most advantageous side effects of the new schedule? An early-bird affinity for Chung. 

“We have morning practices now, but I honestly love them a lot. I’m becoming a morning person now!” Chung said.

Apart from a different schedule, competing is an adjustment for Chung, who did ballet throughout her childhood and switched to hip-hop after joining the team. 

“I didn’t grow up as a competition dancer,” Chung said. “So it is new to me, but also I’m familiar with the [dance] environment too.”

As one of two seniors on the team, Chung takes her responsibility as a role model seriously, setting the rhythm for those to come.

“First of all, to be a part of a team is just so important, especially in high school,” Chung said. “Not only is it fun to lead a team and be a captain, but also to be a good role model and set a good example for the younger members and show them what it truly means to be a captain, because once I leave, then they’ll have to step up and take the role I once had. So it’s important to show them what that should look like.”

One of the primary reasons her role as captain means so much to Chung is because she’s experienced firsthand the impact of having supportive leadership as a dancer.  

“I remember when I first joined [the team]–I have an older sister who was a senior back then,” Chung said. “She was friends with some of the dance captains and I remember they were just so welcoming and encouraging, and they would motivate me all the time. Having that support really helps, especially in such a competitive environment.”