As the 2025-2026 school year starts fall sports are the highlight for many students, however, some students partake in sports separate from the school. There are a few Competitive dancers that attend Chittenango High School. Mia Clark, Emily Gregory, and Crystal Potekhin are a few great examples.
Mia Clark is a freshman at Chittenango high as well as a dancer at Jody Lynn’s school of dance; her practices are held on Mondays Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school hours. She has been dancing for 13 years and enjoys the experience and getting to do it with her friends. She strongly recommends that if you like moving there is a dance style for you. “If you like tumbling we’ve got acro, if you like cheer, do acro.”
Emily Gregory is a senior at Chittenango high and dances with Aspire Dance’s competition team with practices on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 5 to 9 after school; she also has classes on Fridays and Saturdays when preparing for her role in the Nutcracker, specifically as the Snow Queen. Emily has been dancing for 13 years and enjoys the feeling of being on stage performing and having people watch her in her element. “I like moving, because I think I get too stuck in my head, so moving my body is helpful for that.” She thinks that anyone who has parents able to afford dance classes because they are great for connecting with other artistic people outside of school, and in her case, she has connected with several dancers from ESM, FM, and JV.
Crystal Potekhin is a senior at Chittenango high and a dancer at Jean Elaine’s dance studio, and she practices Tuesday through Thursday every week. Crystal has really enjoyed dancing for 12 years now, but her favorite part is learning quick combinations. She recommends that anyone who is interested in dance should join; “Dance gives you the opportunity to travel for competitions, and your teammates become like your second family.”
