With arms spread, toes pointed, and chins up, more than 20 girls swept across bright wooden floors, hoping to leap their way into the hearts of Upper School dance co-directors Karl Kuehn and Amalia De La Rosa.

Varsity and JV Dance auditions were held April 29 after school with dance team hopefuls, ranging from eighth to 11th graders, meeting in the dance room to participate.

“We’re looking for performers who are strong dancers and have a lot of energy and enthusiasm because we are a performance team. They need to represent the school and the dance program well,” Kuehn said.

Prior to the actual auditions, the girls were first collectively taught a short routine to Beyoncé’s End of Time, then given a water break, during which the dancers continued to practice in anticipation of the audition to come. Performing in smaller groups of three to four girls, the auditions consisted of performances of the required routine and a few counts for a freestyle dance, allowing them to do anything from the splits to striking various poses.

“Since I’ve auditioned before, I knew what the process would be like,” current JV dancer Kristen Park (9) said. “Except they asked us to improvise, and that really caught me off guard.”

Over 20 girls auditioned this year hoping to get onto the team.

“It’s tough because we know how passionate they are,” De La Rosa said. “Someone wants the thing really [badly] that it hurts, but we have to say no.”

Because students must be in the dance program for at least one year, typically older girls make it onto the Varsity team with a few special exceptions, according to De La Rosa.

“I’d like to make JV, but [even if I don’t,] I want to learn something,” Emmiee Malyugina (8) said. “I’m freaking out, but I hope it’s going to be fun.”

The girls were not the only ones who felt nervous during the audition.

“I think I get nervous for [the girls] because we work with these students for so many years; it’s hard not to feel for them,” Kuehn said. “We’ve been through so many auditions ourselves, and we know what it’s like–the stress and the nervous energy that exists. [We] want them to do their best because [we] know how great they really are.”

Returning dance team members shared their fellow auditionee and teachers’ nervousness but also expressed the excitement that comes with dancing no matter the pressure.

Junior Jennifer Dai, who is currently on the Varsity team, auditioned again this year.

“I’ve been on [the] team since freshman year, so it’s just something I do every year,” she said “When you start dancing and the music starts, it’s just a lot of fun.”

Audition results will come out Wednesday, May 1 after school.