From competitions, to costumes, to travel costs, the expenses of dance team pile up quickly. Wakefield’s dance team faces the struggle of not receiving funding from the school. The dance team can attest to the importance of fundraising and how much of an impact it can have. 

The fees for dance can become expensive, especially without funding. Halley Murphy is a senior and has been on the dance team for four years. This year, she serves as co-captain of the team. Murphy acknowledges the struggles that come with leading a team that does not receive funding from an outside source.  

“We are not recognized by the school as a sport, so we don’t get any funding whatsoever,” Murphy said. “We pay out of pocket for our uniforms, our competitions, hotel rooms, bus fees, travel fees, gas [and everything] for our competitions.”

Coach Shannon Proctor supports her dancers by offering them solutions for fundraising. She founded the dance team in 2012. Proctor is also the facilitator of the Wakefield dance boosters where she works alongside parents and members of the dance team. 

“I don’t like the fact that girls have to pay to play,” Proctor said. “When it comes to competition, I would hope that we raise enough money and that it’s not another big expense for families financially.”

The members of the team dedicate much of their time to practicing and performing, and while it may seem like the sport doesn’t require much financing, Proctor discusses how costs can quickly add up.

“Varsity is the only team going to Nationals [in Orlando], and [the cost] per girl is between 1200 to 1600 dollars,” Proctor said. “You have to think about hotels, airfare, contest registration fees, and that’s not [even] including food.”

In order to pay for these expenses, several fundraisers are necessary throughout the year and are imperative to the success of the dance team. After four years on varsity, senior Ashlyn Wilkins is no stranger to the large fees that come from participating in dance.  Because this is her last year, Wilkins is even more focused on the opportunity to raise funds. 

“We are currently raising money for our Nationals competition in March by doing individual fundraisers and [we] will start more [fundraisers] later on in the year to raise even more money,” Wilkins said. 

This year, with the added excitement of Nationals, these fundraisers are more important than ever. As Nationals and numerous competitions approach, the dance team is working diligently to raise enough money to finance the competitions.

Senior and co-captain, Vienna Giunta, discusses how raising money can be an enlightening experience. 

“We just finished our popcorn fundraiser and we’re working on one where you can just donate money,” Giunta said. “We are also working on doing a kindergarten through eighth-grade clinic. We’ll teach them a little routine and they’ll get to perform with us, maybe at a basketball game.”

Throughout all expenditures, the team continues to bring excitement and entertainment to sports games, dancing whenever they have the opportunity. The team plans on continuing its fundraising efforts and appreciates any donations.

“As fundraisers come up, it is important to check the dance team website and Instagram for updates, but the news and information will also be spread by each member trying to raise money,” Wilkins said. “More news will be released throughout the season on how people can help support us.”