Seattle Prep’s favorite dance team is more than what is seen on the floor at assemblies. Working hard day after day, it takes dedication and lots of practices to make the performances as great as they are.

In her 11th year helping coach Pulse, Ms. Bernal has seen the program grow into what it is today. She works to “make sure that our program is in line with the mission of the school and our own mission statement: to bring spirit during assemblies and at the same time developing the talents of the kids for the greater glory of god.”

Aside from performing, Pulse tries to create a supportive, tight knit community within the team. Ms. Bernal said “people are very loving. The atmosphere is like a family.”

Freshman Cate McNett said, “at first it was a little intimidating, everyone was really talented, but they’re all really welcoming and I’m glad I’m doing it because I’ve made a lot of friends.”

Junior Mayme Krueger also loves the family atmosphere of Pulse. She added that, “not only are the members supportive of each other, but dance provides us with a way to connect to each other and the audience.”

Captains also play a big role in Pulse. They are a core group that lead the team, help choreograph dances and uphold Pulse’s mission. One of their responsibilities is to choreograph parts of the routines, in addition to coaches, which can be difficult at times. Alexis Wong, a junior and captain said, “it takes me like 6 hours to choreograph a minute and lot of thought in between.”

Pulse also faces many challenges throughout the season when working on routines and preparing for performances. Krueger says that their perfecting days, the last practices leading up to their final performance, are the hardest: “It’s harder than learning the dances, because it’s very detail oriented” says Krueger.

Junior Captain Jillian Bankaitis also added that, “the week before is stress. When people don’t look like they’re trying their hardest.”

Additionally, lots of thought and creativity goes into choosing music and costumes for performances. Bankaitis said “Ashley, one of our senior captains, is in charge of costumes.”

Ms. Bernal also explained the process behind choosing songs, saying “we talk about the theme we want, the vision, and what the storyline of the dance will be. Then we start thinking about the music we want to put in.”

Although Pulse always performs extremely well, many people don’t recognize all the work that gets put in before. McNett added, “we practice more than people think. We spend hours practicing so all our hard work is shown through the dancing.”

The amount of work the Pulse members and coaches put in to each dance and performance is outstanding, and many students are unaware of all the work that it takes to produce such fantastic routines for everyone to watch.