Controversy brewing in H.S. dance team competition
Controversy is brewing among several Minnesota high school dance teams. Five teams have accused the Faribault Emeralds dancers of stealing their recent state championship-winning routine from a high school team in Utah.
The disgruntled teams brought the accusation to Minnesota State High School League officials' attention prior to last weekend's Minnesota 3A High Kick competition, which is the state championship. The officials reviewed footage of the Utah team's routine and Faribault's routine prior to the final round.
Here's what they watched:
The Cooper Hills (Utah) team's routine
The Faribault (Minn.) team's routine
Similar, yes, but different enough that the officials decided Faribault hadn't broken any rules.
The Utah coach disagreed.
"It's not like they took just a really cool trick," Shannon Mortensen told the Salt Lake Tribune. "They took the whole concept -- the music, the characters and the choreography."
The Faribault coach told local news outlet KARE 11 that they'd borrowed the concept for the dance, but mixed in different moves. There may have been similarities lasting "four seconds here and there and never consecutively," Lois Krinke said.
When the judges named Faribault the champion, the other teams refused to join the awards ceremony. Instead, they stood to the side holding hands and yelling, "United we stand. We are one."
