Dance: Chellettes elevate Dreska's all-around talents

RTHS senior competed alongside two IHSA State Championship qualifying teams

Russell Hodges
Posted 5/29/20

Rochelle senior Sarah Dreska has been dancing for over a decade, but it wasn’t until she became a member of the Chellettes that she saw her talents ascend to another level.

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Dance: Chellettes elevate Dreska's all-around talents

RTHS senior competed alongside two IHSA State Championship qualifying teams

Posted

Rochelle senior Sarah Dreska has been dancing for over a decade, but it wasn’t until she became a member of the Chellettes that she saw her talents ascend to another level.

Dreska started dancing when she was 5 years old, and she continued to dance throughout her childhood. When her junior year arrived, she began competing alongside the Chellettes, and for the last two years, her passion and dedication for the sport have grown tremendously.

“I decided to keep dancing because it became something I was passionate about and I wanted to become better,” Dreska said. “Once I joined the team, I was able to push myself in every practice with everything we did to become a better overall dancer. I’ve been dancing for over 10 years, but I never took true time to become better before joining the high school team.”

Dreska was one of two seniors who led the Chellettes to one of their best seasons in program history this past winter. After taking second in the IHSA 1A DeKalb Sectional, Dreska and the Chellettes advanced to the IHSA State Championships, placing fourth in the preliminary round before finishing sixth overall in their class. It was Rochelle’s best finish since 2013. Dreska helped the Chellettes qualify for the state meet in both her junior and senior seasons.

“My favorite memories on the dance team would definitely be the whole experience at state this year,” Dreska said. “I will always remember bonding with my team and showing off what we worked so hard on for months in front of the best dance teams in the state. That whole experience was full of so many amazing memories that I will definitely never forget.”

A two-time Academic All-Conference performer, Dreska will be attending Northern Illinois University to major in human development and family sciences in hopes of pursuing a career in counseling or social work. She said that being a member of the dance team taught her many valuable lessons off the floor including hard work and self-determination.

“The dance team taught me that you have to work hard for something you wish to accomplish,” Dreska said. “It taught me how to be a positive leader and role model for the people around me, and it taught me how to push myself and never give up, even if what I am trying to accomplish seems impossible. At RTHS, I think I improved my overall skills the most.”