TRAVERSE CITY -- At the Traverse City West vs. Traverse City Central basketball game tonight, there was a very exciting halftime show!

The ladies of the TC West Step Team delivered the last of their seven total performances this year- to loud cheers and applause from the audience.

The team was created this year by a group of girls who like to dance, but wanted to add another element. So rather than join the dance team at the high school, they gathered a group of ladies and added stomping and clapping to their dancing - making what's called a step team.

The team is made up entirely of seniors who wanted the group to be focused on having fun together, and be affordable. They created their own uniforms (black pants and T-shirts with all of their faces on it) and the entire team is volunteer - there isn't even a cost to the school. Most don't need to be at the school until after 9am - yet are there at 7am solely for step practice.

One of the co-captains, Hannah Pohlman, puts together the song mixes used for the performances, and although does a lot of the choreography herself, all of the girls contribute to each mix. Most of their dances have been created, practiced, and learned within a 2 week spread - so they have approximately 6hrs to get the new routine done and approved by the principal.

Diane Denoyer, the parent advisor, stated, "7 o-clock mornings was one of those commitment things- I couldn't believe that they wanted to do that. We had floater practices every weekend - and when I say floater practice, it's 2-3 hours at my house, clearing out the basement - the girls would be there. They're just really inspiring as far as teens are concerned." She said she's proud of the girls and their dedication, and has seen them grow immensely in their dancing skills.

The other co-captain, Sydney Denoyer, stated her favorite thing about the team is that "We all weren't really good friends at the beginning, and now we're really close and all hang out. And I liked that we're all of different parts of the school that came together to do one really cool thing." Her advice to future step generations? Practice a lot!

The ladies had a fantastic performance tonight and are hoping upcoming seniors take this on as a tradition!