SJO's Dance Team closed out a breakthrough season with an 11th-place finish at the IHSA Class 1A State Finals, just two points shy of cracking the top ten.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Members of the SJO Dance Team perform their routine at Grossinger Motors Arena during the IHSA Competitive State Dance Finals on Saturday. See more photos below.
BLOOMINGTON - The St. Joseph-Ogden Dance Team closed out its season Saturday with an 11th-place finish at the
IHSA Class 1A Competitive Dance State Finals, capping a year of growth and perseverance that sent the Spartans into competition against the state's elite programs. SJO earned a score of 83.35 in the final round, finishing ahead of Murphysboro (83.02) and just shy of cracking the top ten behind Evergreen Park (85.14), while Joliet Catholic Academy claimed the championship trophy with a score of 92.28.
The Spartans qualified for the finals by posting the 10th-highest score in Friday's preliminary round at 83.92, securing their spot among the final 12 teams and performing third in Saturday's performance order. For a program competing at state for the first time and fielding a roster with five underclassmen among 10 team members, the experience of standing alongside perennial contenders like Jacksonville, the runner-up at 91.62, and Morris, third at 91.06, offered a glimpse of what sustained success requires at this level.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Coached by Alyssa Hudson, the team's routine was built around a metaphor of moving through adversity rather than avoiding it, choreographed to the song "
Lightning Crashes" by Live and performed in costumes designed to evoke the chaos and color of a lightning storm. Hudson said the theme reflected the team's own journey this season, as they navigated the mental and physical challenges of competing at the highest level while building a program still in its infancy on the state stage.
"We learned a lot about moving through adversity as a team this year and we really leaned into that as our inspiration," Hudson said. "It feels so amazing to be in the state finals for the first time with the SJO dance program. We are happy to be here and we'll continue to grow the program every year."
Sophomore Ava Gallo, one of the underclassmen returning next season, said the team left everything on the floor despite falling short of a trophy. She pointed to mindset as a key area for improvement heading into next year's campaign, particularly when it comes to overcoming the mental barriers that can surface in high-stakes competition.
"We put in all the effort throughout the entire season, we went through ups and downs, and I feel like we literally put everything into this dance," Gallo said. "A positive mindset can really go a long way to push through all the mental blocks you have."
In addition to Gallo, this season's state qualifying team included seniors Abby Getty and Gracyn Sjoken; juniors Hadley McDonald, Lilly Sollars, Alivia Learned; and freshmen Darby Manion, Jillian Davis, Avary Buhr, and Leah Stephenson.
Hudson thanked the Spartans' fans, who brought light-up signs and energetic support throughout the season, and credited the administration at St. Joseph-Ogden for backing the program's growth. With the taste of state competition now behind them and a core of returning dancers ready to build on this year's foundation, the message from both coach and team was clear: this is just the beginning.
"We are upward and onward from here," Hudson said. "We are really excited."
TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden dance team state finals results, SJO Spartans IHSA dance competition 2025, Class 1A competitive dance state championship Illinois, St. Joseph-Ogden first state dance appearance
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SJO Dance Team at State
