Claire Zhang

Sparkle members rehearse their dances with co-captains leading in the front. The dance team held their weekly practice Oct. 6 near the student entrance. “My favorite part of practice is [making] crafts,” DeRuisseau said. “It’s a relaxing way to end a Monday and a great start to the rest of the week.”

Ladue Sparkle Effect held their weekly practice Oct. 6 near the student entrance. Every Monday after school, the team meets to rehearse their dances for upcoming school events, followed by an arts and crafts activity.

To start, members huddled in a circle and talked about fun moments from their weekends. Then, they stretched and warmed up before rehearsing the dance routines. Senior co-captains Brielle DeRuisseau (12), Madeline Awad (12), Risa Fingerman (12) and Alyssa Kuhstoss (12) led the practice while club sponsors oversaw the activities.

Sparkle works to bring students of all abilities together, not only through dance but also through team bonding activities. For instance, members can connect with one another during their annual ice cream social. Furthermore, members will attend the Snowball Dance together.

“The purpose of Sparkle is to create an environment of inclusion and community,” DeRuisseau said. “We strive to support each other and grow together.”

Students can watch Sparkle perform at the upcoming football game Oct. 24, the last football game this school year. Additionally, the team will perform at basketball games and other school events in the winter.

“I am looking forward to planning events with alumni and increasing Sparkle’s involvement in the Ladue community as a whole,” DeRuisseau said. “I am really excited to be on Sparkle for my senior year. There’s no better team to share my last year with.”