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Charles City ‘Just For Kix’ dance teams win 2 firsts

  • Press photo by John Burbridge From left, Lilly Luft, Elizabeth Oleson and Katlyn Marty show the first-place plaques they helped Just For Kix win at the 'Together We Dance' competition this past Saturday at Luther College.

  • Photo provided The Charles City Middle Kix Dance Team placed first in the 3A Kick Division at the ‘Together We Dance’ competition. Dancers include Kaylie Banks, Kylie Blunt, Emerson Bohlen, Taylor Brown, Katelyn Cross, Rylee DeBoest, Danica Dejongoy, Aliya Elsbury, Isabell Griffin, NeVaeh Harrelson, Madison Haus, Hailey Herman, Sophia Jensen, Kali Jones, Kassey Kakac, Natalie Keyes, Klaire Kirby, Alexis Kirsch, Jada Litterer, Lilly Luft, Ameleah McKenna, Mollie McKinney, Brooklyn Molitor, Elizabeth Oleson, Emma Onell, Rima Patel, Zadie Pittman, Taylor Quade, Bailey Schweiger, Lauren Staudt, Danielle Stewart, Jadyn Van Horn, Kylie Vance, Elise White and Alexandra Wright.

  • Photo provided The Charles City Senior Kix Dance Team placed first in the 2A Kick Division at the ‘Together We Dance’ competition. Dancers include Ashlyn Bauer, Amelia Brown, Kayla Carroll, Elsie Carroll, Cora Crooks, Maria Feller, Morgan Haus, Bethany Jones, Kayla Kellogg, Katlyn Marty, Emma Miller, Emma Roney, Brianna Ross, Madison Ross, Macy Ross, Amelia Rottinghaus, Cassandra Schiesher, Michaela Schwickerath, Lydia Staudt, Katie Steinlage, Amy Titus and Acacia White.

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

As a varsity swimmer and a state-qualifier with the Charles City YMCA Swim Team, Katlyn Marty knows the value of a good kick.

But it also has served Marty well in other areas.

“This is my eighth year of doing dance,” Marty said, “and I’ve been doing this longer than swimming.”

At the “Together We Dance” competition held Saturday at Luther College in Decorah, Marty was part of the Charles City Just For Kix Senior Kix dance team that took first place in the 2A Kick Division.

“We’ve come close before, but this is the first time I’ve been on a first-place team,” said Marty, who credits her dance training with helping her maintain strength and flexibility in swimming. “We all worked hard for it.”

Ditto for the CC Middle Kix team, that took first in the 3A Kick Division.

“We’ve never had two teams place first at the same meet,” said Sarah Cajthami, who has been running the Charles City Just For Kix program since its started 15 years ago.

Head instructors and assistants for the Charles City program include Amanda Herman, Ali Johnson and McKayla Tupy.

For Charles City Middle Kix dancers Lilly Luft and Elizabeth Oleson, it was also their first time being part of a winning dance team.

“For a lot of us, like me, this was our last year in the middle school division,” said Luft, who has been with Just For Kix for six years. “So we wanted to give it our all to push us over the top before we move on to a more difficult level.”

Before she finally realized that her team had won, Oleson went through a range of emotions.

“It was very nerve-wracking,” she said. “There was some confusion at the end when they were announcing the awards. We thought we didn’t even place when they didn’t mention our names, and we were kind of sad because we thought we should have at least placed.

“But they were announcing another category. When they finally announced that we won our category, it was a big relief.”

The Middle Kix team consists of dancers in grades 5-7; the Senior Kix team consists of dancers in grades 8-12.

For Charles City Just For Kix, the competition in Decorah was its last of the season, which runs from September through April.

The team will hold a “Just For Kix Spring Dance Recital at 3 p.m. April 29 at Comet Gym located within the new Charles City Middle School.

In addition to dancers from the winning teams, younger Just For Kix dancers will perform as well as an all-boys team.

“We’re hoping to have an adult team, too,” said Cajthami, who first started getting involved with Just For Kix when she attended a dance camp while in high school.

Based out of Brainerd, Minn., Just For Kix started in 1981 with the goal of assisting youth advancement through performance. The national organization caters to more than 21,000 dancers in 200 locations.

The Charles City Just For Kix has 150 local dancers in grades 3 to 12.

“My motto for all my dancers is ‘Doing your best is better than being the best’,” Cajthami said. “I truly try to instill that into each girl I teach.”

Those interested in joining the Charles City Just For Kix team, contact director Cajthami at (641) 228-4263.

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