DeKalb Just for Kix dancers perform at Outback Bowl

DeKALB – Over their winter break from school, 11 dancers from DeKalb Just for Kix visited Florida.

Not only did the dancers travel to theme parks and the beach, they performed in the pregame and halftime shows at the Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay, Florida. The game, held Jan. 1, was between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks won, 24-10.

The 11 DeKalb Just for Kix dancers were among the 500 dancers who performed before a crowd of 46,577 fans at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Although this is my third time attending, it gets better every time,” DeKalb Just for Kix Director April Mapes said. “I always get goosebumps watching them perform. It’s amazing to see them join the other dancers on the field and to see them part of something so large.”

The Soul Banana-themed pregame show featured all of the performers using black and white poms to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the Outback Bowl. Dancers spanned the entire field as they performed their 3-minute routine.

During the halftime show, dancers filled the field with high school band students who provided live music for the show. This year’s 7-minute halftime routine was titled “Listen to the Music” and featured a medley of songs, including “Listen to the Music” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The performance ended with a patriotic finale to “Armed Forces Salute.”

Cindy Clough, founder and executive director of Just for Kix, choreographed the performance with help from Ali Geraets and Sharaia Goble.

This was the third time dancers from DeKalb Just for Kix performed at the Outback Bowl. The group sends dancers to the event every other year, although the 2020 performance was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The dancers will perform again at the Outback Bowl in 2023.

The dancers were also able to visit Clearwater Beach, Busch Gardens and a theme park of their choice in Orlando. There also were 677 non-performers and 41 coaches and studio owners on the trip.

Mapes said the group worked hard to learn choreography before heading to Florida, where they worked on precision and routine.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” Mapes said. “They were being coached and critiqued by new dance instructors and were dancing next to people they’ve never talked to or met before. It took a lot of hard work and teamwork to make their routine and formation changes work and look as crisp as possible.”

Clough said that 300 of the 500 dancers were associated with Just for Kix. The Just for Kix dancers were from about 200 youth dance programs in 14 states.

“Individually, each of the dancers are special and talented, but when you put them all together, they’re spectacular,” Cough said. “There’s strength in numbers, and the routines would not be the same without everyone coming together.”

Clough said that many of the dancers are from small towns and never have been to Florida or a big football game before.

“It’s important to thank and recognize the people that helped get the dancers to the game: parents and guardians, friends and the local community,” Clough said. “Without the fundraising efforts, hard work and sacrifices made, the event would not have happened.”

DeKalb Just for Kix’s 2021-2022 Outback Bowl participants were Tessa Diedrich of DeKalb, 14; Brooklynn Miller of Maple Park, 15; Anna Aska of Sycamore, 15; Meila Robinson of DeKalb, 12; Payton Kalweit of Sycamore, 14; Brooke-Lynn Kalweit of Sycamore, 12; Cheyenne Blair of Cortland, 13; Genevieve Blair of Cortland, 11; Shelby Bentley of Mendota, 14; Elicia Deluna of DeKalb, 13; and Abby Przybyla of Cortland, 14.