On Tuesday, March 12, future Lakers from Lake Harriet Upper Elementary School came to Southwest during second and third hour. They were seeking help from dancers in Dance Companies 1, 2, and 3 as they are currently preparing for a dance competition at their school scheduled for May 3rd.

Mr. DePerry, the gym teacher at Lake Harriet and the director of this event, states that this is the 20th anniversary of these dance competitions, and he’s super excited to have Southwest Lakers come help and guide the 5th graders this year on their journey.

While talking to the mentors from Dance Companies 1, 2, and 3, DePerry said that this is the most anticipated event at Lake Harriet and the biggest highlight for many alumni of Lake Harriet. He also stated that he is so grateful to have Lakers help the 5th graders get started in this process as he believes that the beginning is always the most difficult part of the process.

The theme for this year’s Lake Harriet dance competition is the ‘70s. Prior to rehearsal day on March 12th, dancers spent time in class choreographing and researching ’70s moves for the Lake Harriet kids to get started in their process. Some of the songs that will be used for this contest are ”Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees, “Material Girl” by Madonna, and “Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer, for a total of 11 songs.

After the rehearsal, dancers from Dance Company 3 shared their thoughts on this special mentoring process. “They had so many ideas to build off of,” Julia Webb (‘26) said, and many agreed and thought the kids were super enthusiastic. Aisha Kamara (‘24) also added that she thought the kids were super confident as they weren’t shy to show off their gymnastics skills to a large group of people.

During the Dance Companies extended field trip in April, the mentors from Southwest will go to Lake Harriet Upper Elementary School to check the progress made by the 5th graders and give them further guidance so they are more prepared for their contest in May.