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Winner of the 2021 Wauconda Mayor's Community Service Award!
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The ONE, the ONLY, the ORIGINAL!
Fall 2024 & New Dance Camp info below!
Come join our 13th Season of fun!
We are proud to be the Premier Poms Program of Lake and McHenry County!
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Translate:
Winner of the 2021 Wauconda Mayor's Community Service Award!
Come join our 13th Season of fun!
We are proud to be the Premier Poms Program of Lake and McHenry County!
Bulldogs Spirit Poms and Dance offers a unique opportunity to the community. We combine dance instruction with a competition team, as well as giving special opportunities a dance performance company would usually have. We are a mobile dance program! We blend ALL of that together, plus many more fun events throughout the Seasons to make each year unique. We rely on the community to help keep our costs low with fundraisers, special camps, and just spreading the word so we can keep giving back and keep costs affordable!
Since 2018, Bulldogs Spirit Poms and Dance has won over 130 Regional, National Championship Wins, Bids and Awards! We will work hard for the Community for more of those wins this Fall and Spring for YOUR dancers!
The one, the only, the original!
Always imitated, but never duplicated!
If you have Spirit then we would love to have your dancer join!
Just some highlights of the first couple weeks of practice!
We are so honored to be featured on Comcast SportsNet/NBC Sports Chicago!
Welcome to Bulldogs Spirit Poms & Dance!
Here your dancer will...
Learn technique
Perform at competitions/local events
Make best friends
Feel safe in our drama/bully-free zone
AND HAVE FUN!
This is just a quick glimpse of one of our practices! We still have a few spots left until registration closes for our fall season. Contact info.bulldogsspiritpoms@yahoo.com or visit https://bulldogsspiritpomsanddance.com/ for more info!
DANCE WITH HEART!
Open to all girls and boys in public, private and homeschools in all communities, Bulldogs Spirit Poms and Dance is a non-profit organization promoting the importance of sportsmanship, commitment, determination, teamwork, self-confidence, enthusiasm and team spirit, a passion for the art of dance, and the value of community service in our area youth.
"Dance Big, Dream Big, Care Big!"
Baby Bulldogs!
Many know that our Princess Poms Team is like a Super-Combo Class for Kindergarteners, where our dancers learn 4 styles throughout an entire year and compete, but for those with 2, 3 and 4-year olds who are just starting out and enjoy the excitement of an end-of-the-year Showcase while learning the fundamentals of dance, now
Baby Bulldogs!
Many know that our Princess Poms Team is like a Super-Combo Class for Kindergarteners, where our dancers learn 4 styles throughout an entire year and compete, but for those with 2, 3 and 4-year olds who are just starting out and enjoy the excitement of an end-of-the-year Showcase while learning the fundamentals of dance, now’s the time to sign up!
Your little ones will get to enjoy a fun, encouraging environment while learning the fundamentals of dance (Royal Academy of Dance syllabus is implemented), exploring space and rhythm, and performing for their families at the end of the Season (plus additional performance opportunities if parents would like!)! An entire Season of fun that you don’t want to miss out on! All your dancer needs are ballet slippers, tights for their costume and we provide the rest! Spaces are very limited and we have a minimum/maximum for class so sign up ASAP!
Princess Poms is like a "Super" combo class all in 1! This Team is for the Kindergarten age group in our community. In the Fall we learn Jazz, Poms and Ballet, and learn a Poms competition dance on top of a Ballet dance for our Showcase. In the Spring we learn Jazz, Poms and Tap, and work on our Poms dance along with a Tap dance for ou
Princess Poms is like a "Super" combo class all in 1! This Team is for the Kindergarten age group in our community. In the Fall we learn Jazz, Poms and Ballet, and learn a Poms competition dance on top of a Ballet dance for our Showcase. In the Spring we learn Jazz, Poms and Tap, and work on our Poms dance along with a Tap dance for our Showcase! The best deal in the area for those who want to try it ALL!
Purple Team is for grades 1st-3rd! They work on Jazz and Poms through the Season. Lots of our girls have started on our Princess Poms Team, moved up and learned even harder skills much quicker to show off in their routines!
We also offer opportunities throughout the Season for fun performances!
Silver Team is for grades 4th-5th! They work on Jazz and Poms through the Season. Lots of our older girls have gymnastic and acro training that they like to show off, and we give them the dance skills they need to nail their competition dances! Experience is NOT required for our teams!
We also offer opportunities throughout the Season for fun performances!
Platinum Team is our Jr. High Team, grades 6th-8th. They work on Jazz, Poms, Strengthening/ Conditioning and when time permits, Ballet/Lyrical. Our Coaches have taught all-level classes so your dancer can get the personalized teaching they deserve!
We also offer opportunities throughout the Season for fun performances!
Premier Team is our High School Team, grades 9th-12th. They work on Jazz, Poms, Strengthening/Conditioning, and Ballet/Lyrical if time permits during the busy competition Seasons! Our Jr. High and High School Teams have more opportunities for extra competitions!
Solos, Duets and Trios are available to our current Team Members at an additional cost, by Coach approval, and schedule availability!
Working on your counts in your dances? Need to get in some cardio? Curious about tap dance in general? Maybe you took lessons as a child and would like to get back into the groove?
We are excited to offer tap lessons this Season, and spaces are very limited, everyone is welcome to join while they can! We have a minimum/maximum for our gr
Working on your counts in your dances? Need to get in some cardio? Curious about tap dance in general? Maybe you took lessons as a child and would like to get back into the groove?
We are excited to offer tap lessons this Season, and spaces are very limited, everyone is welcome to join while they can! We have a minimum/maximum for our group numbers so sign up for this 12-week session ASAP!
Miss Catherine has been teaching tap with various programs in the area for nearly 20 years. Her bio is available on our website! We have always incorporated tap and ballet into our Princess Poms program, but now in response to repeated requests from our Poms families, we will offer tap as a stand-alone lesson!
In using metal taps on the heels and toes of a dancer’s shoes, this is one of the ways this can transform the dancer into a percussive musician. Of course, there’s more to tap than just fancy tricks like wings and toe stands, there are rubrics created over 70 years ago that help tap dancers with the basics and give them a good, solid foundation to build on.
All lessons will be basic/beginner level with a relaxed atmosphere, if you’d like to sign up, let us know and we’ll get tapping! Our goal is to have our tap group be a Showcase Group that performs in our Spring Showcase!
Anyone Jr. High through adult, come sign up and join in on the fun! Everyone is considered a dancer in our Bulldogs Spirit family!
Our Showcase Group that is a cardio/ drumming program, the FIRST and ONLY in the area! Work on rhythm, learning drum patterns while your routine incorporates cardio, using a yoga ball on a base and drumsticks as your instruments!
We love our food/goodies fundraisers but we also love to give back with our time and talents to create dance camps year-round! This helps us with rising costs that effect our program!
$45/each and made to pick up on or before our Showcase - show off those WINS!
Help keep our costs low by helping us with supplies, "Treasure Chest" goodies, and more!
These designs will be offered year-round and created as ordered, $20/each, with our Organization's name on the back!
Contact us for paperwork if you would like to help our programs run by becoming a sponsor or donating! You are advertised on our Facebook page, website, a banner displayed at parades, and more! Ask us how your dancer can dance for free if you are a sponsor!
Welcome to Bulldogs In Action!
According to Wikipedia, what our Organization is classified as, is a "Community-serving nonprofit organization(s) focus(ed) on providing services to the community either globally or locally. Community-serving nonprofits include organizations that deliver aid and development programs, medical research, education, and health services."
Your staff has been blessed to be able to teach the gift of dance to your community since 2005. Your staff has also worked with and for youth since 1984. Your volunteer staff consists of medical professionals, first responders, business professionals, school employees, educators and more. We have been able to serve the communities around us with Bulldogs Spirit since 2018 and we've felt for quite some time now (see our post 7/25/23'), it’s time to take it up a notch and we’re finally able to announce it! We love reaching youth with dance camps and our dance program, but this is such a fun way to reach out in a totally different and unique way!
There are wonderful charities and organizations in the area, and what we do is just one of the MANY ways people give back to those around them, near and far. You will find out what's near and dear to OUR hearts. B.I.A. activities and events will help the community and beyond, and is separate from poms fundraising. We make nothing off this, except doing charitable deeds throughout the community and beyond, showing our Bulldogs Spirit. Other organizations see what Bulldogs Spirit does and try to imitate it; they see the Spirit we are spreading and try to do it in their own ways too!
It was a privilege to receive the wonderful Wauconda Mayor’s Award in 2021 for recognition in our “steadfast service and dedication to the community and for mentoring the youth of Wauconda and surrounding communities” (as well as receiving the Presidential Award for several years now!), and we will have, and will always live up to that standard! We've enjoyed doing fun things like giving back at the Turkey Trot in Wauconda, helping at the Port Barrington Garden Party, bringing gifts to Wauconda Care, and goodies to local Fire Stations on 9/11, but now it's great to have it under an official "name" of its own!
We are, and have ALWAYS been, Bulldogs In Action. Bulldogs In Action is our newest initiative under the banner of Bulldogs Spirit Poms and Dance, but we have always been SO much more than just poms. Not only will you see us serve you in even MORE ways, but there will be opportunities open to the community to come JOIN us as we look for special ways to give back. There have been many causes near and dear to our hearts for 40+ years (both near, in the city of Chicago, and much farther to other Countries), and it's a privilege to serve side by side with our Bulldogs Spirit families and now, the community as well. And not just reaching out to our community, but much farther and beyond that. Our time, our talents and our service. This is going to be so much more and such a larger scope of who we’ve ALWAYS been. There will be many ways YOU will be able to help and reach out alongside us and be a part of B.I.A. in some unique, beautiful and fantastic ways very soon! What a true way to "Dance with HEART"!
April is Autism Awareness Month, and as always we will be supporting GiGi's Playhouse of McHenry! Please consider donating to help them so they can continue to give back in amazing ways!
May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, and we will be holding a Clothing Drive to support their new free store, The Bridge! We have had more requests to collect items well after the 19th so if you have anything you'd like to donate please reach out to us!
Spring 2024 -
11 National Championship wins (with 100% Allstar Alliance paid bids!), with Silver winning the coveted National Dance Grand Championship Title a SECOND TIME! Also winning Full-Paid Bids to the Allstar World Championship in Orlando, Florida!
Premier Team Soloist - 1st in Category as well as Platinum!
Silver Team Duet - 1st in Category as well as Gold!
Fall 2023 -
6 Division Championship wins with 100% paid bids to Spring 2024!
4 National Championship wins with 100% paid bids to Spring 2024, along with Silver Team winning the coveted National Dance Grand Champion Title!
Silver Team and Platinum Team receiving Partially Paid Bids to the Allstar World Championship in Orlando, Florida!
2022-2023
14 National Championships (1 of these Soloist Win), 100% paid bids to Spring 2022 National Championships
Elite Gold and Golds won by 2 Soloists and 3 Duets at Starbound Regionals
2 Ruby Award wins by one of our soloists Spring 2022
Division Championship wins this Fall 2022 - 13 1st-place wins, 3 2nd place wins, 100% and 50% paid bids to Spring 2023
Spring 2023 -
4 National Championship Wins as well as a Dance Grand Championship win by Platinum Team, 1st and 3rd place Soloist wins, 100% paid bid wins to Spring 2023 National Championships won at the Kalahari Nationals
5 1st and 1 2nd Place National Championship Wins for our Teams, 4 1st and 1 2nd Place Soloist National Championships wins, and 1 1st place Duet National Championship Win!
Top First Place Won at KAR Dance Competition, as well as an invitation to All Star Dancers Experience in New York, and Crowned Miss Intermediate Dancer First Runner Up won by our Premier Team Soloist!
Starbound - High Gold and Gold for our Soloists!
1st place for our Duet and Solo in the Rec Category at the Six Flags Championship!
2 Platinum Awards at Showstopper Dance Competition for our Senior Soloist, 1 of them 4th Highest in Category!
Diamond and Ruby Awards for our Platinum Soloist at Spotlight Dance Competition!
2021-2022
15 Division Championships (2 of those Soloist Wins), 100% paid bids to Spring 2022 National Championships, Dance Grand Championship Win by Platinum Team!
2020-2021
12 Division Championships
Dance Grand Championships won by Platinum Team
4 1st - Place Soloist Wins, 2 2nd - Place Soloist Wins
6 of these wins received at the Kalahari Nationals Championship
Elite Gold Winners by Platinum Team
4 High Gold Wins for our Soloists and Purple Team,
2 of those High Gold Wins and Judge’s Awards
received at Starbound Regionals
2nd Place Overall Top Senior Int. Solo for Poms Solo/
Top 10 Soloist award
received at Starbound Regionals
Starbound Nationals Finals High Gold Winner for Poms Solo
Elite Sapphire and Judge’s Award for “Crowd Pleaser” for Poms Solo
at Groove Regionals
Platinum Award for Soloist at Showstopper Regionals
2 1st place, 2 2nd place, and 2 1st place Solo wins in Xtreme’s Virtual World Championship
2019
Purple Team 1st Place State Championship Winners with the IRCA
2018
Princess Poms was the youngest team to ever compete with the IRCA, with some of our dancers as young as 3 years old, and receiving full-stadium, standing ovations at every competition!
Dozens of 100% PAID BIDS earned to National Championships,
earned by hitting high-rubric scoring at every event!
Hemmens Cultural Arts Center
Spartan Events Center
The Kalahari at Wisconsin Dells
Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center
Harper College
College of Lake County
NOW Arena for the Windy City Bulls Annually (since 2018!) and IRCA State Competitions
Six Flags Great America - Wilderness Outdoor Theater, Grand Music Hall
McHenry Downtown Indoor Theater
Wauconda’s Trick or Treat on Main Street Annually since 2018!
Village of Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center
Multiple High Schools throughout Illinois
Canlan Sports Complex - LIbertyville
Special Haunted Houses our dancers have had special invitations to perform at!
Alden Estates in Barrington
Lake County Fairgrounds
In 2021 awarded the Wauconda Mayor's Community Service Award in recognition of steadfast service and dedication to the Community and for Mentoring the Youth of Wauconda and Surrounding Communities!
Placed in top 10 the FIRST TIME our dancers started competing in "true" dance competitions!
A major Competition Organization started taking solos, duets, and trios this last year (dance and cheer!) because of Bulldogs Spirit! Those categories are now growing within this Competition Organization, and Bulldogs Spirit opened the doors for other dancers to compete!
Windy City Bulls has informed us that Bulldogs Spirit is "Consistently one of our most successful and engaged groups" who use OUR marketing and communication as a guide for other group leaders!
We've enjoyed giving our dancers this opportunity with the WCB SIX YEARS IN A ROW!
We were honored to present the game ball at the opening weekend for Windy City Bulls in Fall 2023!
Featured on Comcast SportsNet/NBC Sports Chicago!
In December 2023, celebrating our "Cheers to 5 Years" Anniversary with a ribbon cutting with the Wauconda Chamber of Commerce!
Silver Team has won National Dance Grand Championship TWICE in one year, a MAJOR accomplishment! All ages and levels (Tiny up to Senior, ALL styles) compete for this!
On top of our decades and decades of experience working with children, teaching dance, and working/volunteering/giving back to the community, we love to personally support many other additional teaching programs and resources to complement our teaching and keep ideas fresh and new. Many studios and programs use additional curriculums, but using a variety of 20+ programs to sprinkle in new fun with our teaching is STANDARD for us, NOT an option. Just some of the programs we support are above, and some that we pay for we do not advertise and keep that strictly for our dancers. You will find our Teachers spend year-round, as volunteers, to make your child's experience the best possible!
We are a mobile dance program, and we are grateful to rent additional facilities in our communities as well as in District 118 to give back to the dancers in our communities!
Do you love to dance, tumble and stunt? Then this may be the place you're looking for! If you're not happy where you're at or looking for something new and want to bring out your Bulldogs Spirit, then this may be the place for you!
We are a rec-level competition team but compete with an All-Star heart! We go to traditional rec-level competitions and above, and our dancers consistently win at all levels!
We spotlight the children and NOT ourselves. The spotlight belongs on YOUR child. This is THEIR time to shine!
Our cost is comparable to traditional dance classes but we are all-inclusive – costumes, competition fees and more. You pay for shoes and tights. We strive to give you the best quality and quantity for less. This is our service to the community.
Costumes are owned by you and INCLUDED in the registration fee. They are used again for Spring Championships, competitions, performance opportunities and Showcases if possible. This helps keep costs low for you too.
We are transparent. We utilize several ways to get our info out to parents and are always looking for more ways to communicate our info to busy parents who need to be kept up to date on our Bulldog happenings!
PARENT input is key to our dance competitions. We take into consideration the location/distance, venue, cost, dates and reputation of a competition. We work out every location for your schedule ahead of time, so there's no stress for you! Parent input on the locations and days is key also as we would love to be your dance family but we understand that YOUR family comes first. No weekend practices (unless absolutely necessary), no surprises. Parent involvement and input is welcome and encouraged. Solos and duets are available at an extra cost to our team members by coach approval. We will not force families to purchase extra classes to attend our program!
We are a non-profit, which means we don't charge outrageous prices and keep our bank account padded. Your Coaches and Volunteers serve for free the ENTIRE year as a service to the community. We believe that dance, competition and being on a team should be accessible to EVERYONE. What's paid in registration fees and donors from sponsors goes directly to your child and their dance experience, 100% to the program. We are here for the community and to be a place where every child (and adult!) is welcome to dance, compete, and be a part of something that's their very own.
We have volunteers who have decades of experience working and volunteering with children and adults of all ages!
Our award-winning choreography and music is included in your fees! There is original choreography for each team, not dances and costumes that all have the same look, pumped out like a machine. Months of time, thought and effort go into each team and routine. We have multiple coaches, so different styles and choreography get used to wow the judges and the crowd. They utilize the skills the dancer has and teach them dance technique to further their skills. All of our coaches have experience working with and teaching children. Our decades of dance experience and syllabus we have crafted almost 2 decades ago (we also partner with 20+ dance curriculums as well) is what we use for our dancers to gain success and hit their goals!
We've navigated the pandemic for 2 years without missing a dance beat. Showcases, competitions, we made it ALL happen! In 2023-24 we will be striving for more beats! Our community needs our Bulldogs Spirit and we will be here to share that with everyone!
Uniforms, supplies, competitions, programs and more, we scope out who's the best so we can give the best experience for your dancer! We are a rec program that loves to give the All-Star experience that is budget-friendly! We have flexible, ingenious coaches and dancers who are always up for the challenge and end up on top. From choreography, costumes, themes, all of our hard work and what we have, others can attempt to recreate, but NEVER duplicate. Why pay thousands for recycled choreography, costumes and themes when you get the BEST for less! There's no need to copy like others do when we've got the best! Your volunteers have already been involved in the community with dance and volunteering for decades, and on top of Miss Catherine creating her own curriculum almost 2 decades ago we support almost TWO DOZEN other wonderful programs/curriculums that excel from Early Childhood Education all the way up to advanced levels. Many programs will boast using these companies but this is our STANDARD. This ensures we always keep things fresh, new, informative, and yet traditional. Sass with class! We have been fully invested for nearly 2 decades right outside your front door, and we love to partner with wonderful people to give the All-Star experience with variety and fun!
Miss Catherine was born and raised in Chicago and has over 3 decades of dance training from the heart of the City and the surrounding suburbs, and starting teaching in Island Lake in 2005. The eldest of 6 siblings and a mother herself, since the age of 3 she has been studying dance, performing all over the Chicagoland suburbs, competing
Miss Catherine was born and raised in Chicago and has over 3 decades of dance training from the heart of the City and the surrounding suburbs, and starting teaching in Island Lake in 2005. The eldest of 6 siblings and a mother herself, since the age of 3 she has been studying dance, performing all over the Chicagoland suburbs, competing for several years and sharing her love of dance with her community for nearly 2 decades. She has taught at park districts, dance studios in the Chicagoland suburbs, taught dance numbers for her church's musical theater programs and created a worship dance program in Lake Zurich. She has spent 20 years working with inner city youth in the Kilbourn Park/Humboldt Park area, while also working with children in the suburbs (Preschool-Middle School), and for several years as a Director for an after-school youth program for children 3rd-6th grade in the Inner City serving children in the Kilbourn Park/Humboldt Park area. Just some of the responsibilities as Director includes lesson planning, games/activities, outings, and sports events/training. She has been working in the field of Accounting for 18 years and works at a school where she assists the CFO as they give 2 million in tuition assistance to those in need. She has a passion for dedication and commitment. “Ingenuity” is her motto!
She was accepted at the age of 3 to study under Mary Lou Troumanhouser (a student of Tommy Sutton), the former owner of (the former) The Dance Academy in Chicago. Since then she has performed all over Chicagoland, some of those places including The Copernicus Center, Navy Pier, The Daley Center, The Children’s Museum, the opening of the Norwood Park Historical Society, and The Portage Theater. She won top in dance routines for Waucondafest has Talent in 2011, and was given the opportunity to perform at the Pritzker Theater in 2011 and Carnegie Hall. She has performed at festivals and shows all over the Chicagoland suburbs and competed with high honors in dance competitions with companies such as Starlight, Rainbow Connection, Footlites, Starpower and StarQuest. She has studied Tap extensively as well as Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Lyrical and Hip Hop. After studying for over a decade at The Dance Academy in Chicago she moved to the Barrington/Wauconda area, and immediately got involved in the communities around her. She taught all forms of dance for several years at the Island Lake Park District starting in 2005 and studied as well as taught at the former Dancer’s Pointe in Island Lake. She started offering Tap, Jazz/Hip Hop, Ballet, Tumbling and Poms starting at the Village of Island Lake in 2005 and on and off until 2013. At the same time, she traveled extensively to Chicago to study under teachers at The Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Lou Conte Dance Studio, and several others. She has enjoyed performing fun ballet pieces such as "Dance of the Little Swans" from Swan Lake and "Theme Slave Varie'" from Coppelia. She took time off teaching until 2017 to focus on private lessons and classes, got married, and had a little dancer of her own. She has taken innumerable classes and workshops with the best for Tap. Her favorite teachers to study tap from have been Tre Dumas III, Lane Alexander, Phil Brooks and JaBowen Dixon. She has studied all forms of dance under teachers such as Mary Lou Troumanhouser, Jeanne Sok, Kathy DeMaira, Inaside Chicago Dance’s Nell Heflin, Dionna PridGeon, Chicago Dance Crash’s Chris Courtney, Step Africa!’s Jakari Sherman, Chicago Movement Collective’s Melinda Wilson, private lessons with JaBowen Dixon and many more. She enjoys contributing to the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Lydia Home and Dance Accepts Everyone, studies Music Theory in her free time, and loves to add to her extensive dance curriculum. She has carefully crafted the syllabus she and all of the coaches use from her 33 years of dance experience and knowledge, and has taught ALL of our staff in the last two decades, starting at the Village of Island Lake.
Continued study is the mark of a true artist. Performing is fun but the hard work behind the scenes is what she truly enjoys. Miss Catherine loves to bring the latest styles to her students, so she brings in amazing teachers to give the newest and best ideas, continues to study from her favorite teachers, taking workshops, networking with successful teachers and directors, and continuing her growth as a teacher and director, but also as a dancer. She works with over 20 successful programs and is a member of Progressive Ballet Technique, Just for Kix and many more! She truly enjoys volunteering and serving the community and has been blessed to move into the 13th successful Season of our program. Ingenuity is her most important motto. Whether it's tap dancing on planks at local fests, dancing on the grass, carpet with tap masters or sand, "We can always make it work!" Not only is she excited to pass her love of dance to the 3rd generation of dancers in her family, she is excited to continue giving back to the community she's been involved with for decades and has a passion to work with children and adults alike, training them in dance and expression and having them carry that with them through whatever adventures they have in life! She loves seeing her dancers hit milestones like making their school dance teams, growing up and having little dancers of their own, being a part of the community and giving that love of dance back!
We are proud to have Miss Christine as our Head Coach since our founding in 2018. She has been dancing since she was 5 years old, starting her training in the heart of Chicago at (the former) The Dance Academy by learning from teachers such as Sharon Girten, Jeanne Sok and Kathy DeMaira. After moving to the Barrington/Wauconda area she st
We are proud to have Miss Christine as our Head Coach since our founding in 2018. She has been dancing since she was 5 years old, starting her training in the heart of Chicago at (the former) The Dance Academy by learning from teachers such as Sharon Girten, Jeanne Sok and Kathy DeMaira. After moving to the Barrington/Wauconda area she studied at the Village of Island Lake’s Dance program and the former Dancer’s Pointe in Island Lake. She has studied Poms, Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop. She was a cheerleader in the Wauconda Bulldogs Cheer program and an All-Star Cheerleader at Cheer Fusion. She has danced and competed with the former Premier Poms in Barrington, and has coached Rec Cheer and Poms. She has experience performing in and out of State competing in Poms, Hip-Hop and Kickline. She has performed Poms, Hip-Hop and Kickline for halftime many times at Chicago Bulls Games as well! She helped found the Wauconda Bulldogs Men of Cheer and their choreography (2012-2017), and in addition to doing choreography for our Bulldogs Spirit Teams she jumped right in and choreographed our first Bulldogs Spirit Poms and Dance Parent/Family Routine for our Windy City Bulls Game performances in 2018 and 2019! She has brought our Teams over 70 (Regional and National) Championship wins, and a State Championship win in the short time we have been in the community! She was a Pre-K/K Teacher for 4 years at a local private school, and created curriculums for this program as well to help enrich their learning experience. She currently has her B.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications. She lives in Wauconda, and loves the lake life and volunteering in the community! We are so excited for our 13th Season with Miss Christine, she loves meeting all our new dancers, making our girls laugh, and bringing her passion for teaching children and love of dance to everyone!
Miss Ally started dance at the age of 3 (with Miss Catherine!) and cheer at the age of 5 and has training in Cheer, Poms (and competitive Poms before Bulldogs Spirit), Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical and Contemporary! She has just recently been crowned Miss Intermediate Dancer First Runner Up, won Top First Place, and was awarded the
Miss Ally started dance at the age of 3 (with Miss Catherine!) and cheer at the age of 5 and has training in Cheer, Poms (and competitive Poms before Bulldogs Spirit), Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical and Contemporary! She has just recently been crowned Miss Intermediate Dancer First Runner Up, won Top First Place, and was awarded the "NYC All Stars" invitation to an All-Star Dancers experience in New York! She was also awarded the 2023 Wauconda Mayor's Community Service Award!
We have AMAZING Team Moms who have stepped up to help us make the magic happen!
We ask that Team Moms have had dancers in our program for at least a year, so they know how our program runs and can help answer questions that parents have throughout the Season. They are the backstage hands that know how hectic things get, and lend their t
We have AMAZING Team Moms who have stepped up to help us make the magic happen!
We ask that Team Moms have had dancers in our program for at least a year, so they know how our program runs and can help answer questions that parents have throughout the Season. They are the backstage hands that know how hectic things get, and lend their talents and amazing hearts to help us get things done! We CANNOT thank them enough!
Year 2023-2024 -
Purple Team - Miss B's Mom
Silver Team - Miss L's Mom
Platinum Team - Miss I's Mom
Miss Kelly has been studying and performing dance for 16 years. She has also done cheer but soon found that dance was her passion. She started when she was in 6th grade, all the way through High School competing and beyond. She has studied Open Dance, Poms, Hip Hop, Lyrical and Contemporary. Her favorite go-to dance style is Lyrical/C
Miss Kelly has been studying and performing dance for 16 years. She has also done cheer but soon found that dance was her passion. She started when she was in 6th grade, all the way through High School competing and beyond. She has studied Open Dance, Poms, Hip Hop, Lyrical and Contemporary. Her favorite go-to dance style is Lyrical/Contemporary. When she is not dancing, she is a school nurse who celebrated getting her Masters in Nursing Education in August 2023! She has been with Bulldogs Spirit since the very beginning and each time she comes to practice and sees her dancers hit those milestones (like landing double pirouettes!) with excitement it makes her remember why she loves doing what she does!
The groundwork and funds were being laid out in late 2017/early 2018, and finally implemented in 2018. But really, Miss Catherine has been teaching in the area since 2005 and has always wanted to start a dance program to give back to the community!
- Routines, choreography, costumes, events, themes - all of this is carefully crafted for months, year-round by your Coaches and Volunteer Staff. Why pay thousands for another program just to have them imitate what we offer to the community? Integrity, creativity, dignity, self-respect and a no-drama environment are top priority for our mobile dance program. We take pride in our creativity and ingenuity, and will never be a program who will always be one step behind, following someone else’s ideas because of lack of our own. We enjoy making your dancer’s year the best experience it can possibly be and won’t cheapen it by following anyone else’s coattails. We set the bar!
- Your Coaches/Teachers partner with over 20 curriculum plans on top of the curriculum Miss Catherine has created since 2005 to give your dancer an all-around fun and enjoyable learning experience! We have some pictured in the post, and others we keep the info exclusive to our Organization and don't post. After decades of theme nights and theme months your staff has done, we love partnering with new programs to add more fun! Check back to see our fun theme nights/months coming up!
- We belong to NO other organization, and we are NOT linked with any other program. We run independently, only serving our parents AND the Community, that's who has a say and that's who we listen to and get feedback from. Parents know events, practices, and special dates ahead of time with full transparency, as well as a private calendar that our parents get updated almost daily. Our program has fun, new experiences each Season, tailored to the wants and needs of our dancers and their families! We've been able to teach dance to children in 12+ towns in the McHenry and Lake County area and we have such amazing, special dancers and families! No matter what town or County you're from, you're always a Bulldog once you dance with us!
- Your fees are all-inclusive, which means the costumes and accessories you pay for, are YOURS for your dancer to KEEP! Money spent, is money that comes back to YOU and YOUR dancer's experience! You will not pay an additional fee (we actually fundraise to help offset any supply price increases), have to return your items, and they are yours to do with as you wish! Some of our dancers display all their poms and medals from over the years beautifully for family and friends to enjoy! This is one of the advantages of being a non-profit with volunteer workers - you get the most out of your experience!
- All of our special events are OPTIONAL! We run for both Fall AND Spring with different and unique events, experiences and competitions, all tailored to give your dancer the All-Star experience without the All-Star cost. We attend dance/cheer and "true" dance competitions, as your staff has entered these for decades, with extensive experience. This has been our service to the community for decades, starting in Island Lake in 2005, nearly 20 years right outside your door!
Weekends are important family time! We have Mommies, Grandmas and Aunties who are our volunteer staff, and make sure our fun events are available for your family to take advantage of on YOUR time! We encourage you to check out our bios on our website to see what we are all about!
- We've been able to study dance in the heart of Chicago, and after coming to the beautiful area of Wauconda/Island Lake/Port Barrington, we continued to commute back to the City to continue our growth over the years (ballet, jazz and TAP especially)! Even though our favorite studios and programs are no longer running like The Dance Academy, Lou Conte Dance Studio and Premier Poms, we love to continue the traditions and special memories we had growing up, and add new fun as the years go by. Our program is special because we focus on giving BACK. Our fundraising helps our dancers, but it also gives back at the same time! We are honored to have won the Mayor’s Community Service Award in 2021, and to have a volunteer who won the same award in 2023 as well. We are committed to showing you how dedicated we are to your children and the Community!
In Fall 2018 we had Princess Poms, and in Spring 2019 we quadrupled in numbers to add ages 4-8th Grade. In Spring 2022 we've expanded to Baby Bulldogs for our littlest ones and Showcase Groups that the families in our communities have specifically requested. We now teach/coach ages 2yrs - High School. We are proud to have children from 12+ different towns from surrounding areas for the last 12 Seasons to come together to learn dance and have a great time! We love having girls from towns all over coming to enjoy dance and performing!
We will not be dancing/performing for any weekly games. We will be participating in community events and performing at special events as they are available. On top of getting the chance to compete and learn with fantastic volunteers in the community with an amazing amount of dance/poms/cheer/performing backgrounds, we want the girls to have the opportunity to perform. As for practices they will be indoors. For the start of Fall 2020 we started outside due to Covid protocols. We've partnered with Volo Sportsplex, Village of Island Lake, Wauconda Post 911, Wauconda Township, local schools and other facilities in past/present for our practices. Each Season and each group will be unique. We don't do "what's best for business", we do what's best for YOUR DANCERS and what the community asks for, always aiming to give the All-Star experience without the All-Star cost.
And you will get it! :) We partner with several big name distributors to get the best quality at the best price!
Absolutely. We have a no-tolerance policy, and the parent/guardian who is registering their child will sign this confirming that they, AND their child, are aware that if this policy is not followed, they will be removed from the team with no refund. These will be teams that are encouraging, uplifting and working together. We are a no-drama, no-bullying, no-clique organization, and want our dancers to get the best experience out of Bulldogs Spirit Poms and Dance. Save the drama for Dance Moms! ;)
We are a non-for-profit. That is what we stand on, and we are not going to charge any more than what is needed to get the best quality items for your girls, to go to competitions with a wonderful organization, and our volunteers are just that - volunteers. They truly enjoy giving back to the community! We have chosen to keep this a non-profit as a service to the youth in the community that we hope all children and adults can enjoy. Most our staff have grown up giving back and it is their passion. Most of our volunteers have professions in the community and all of them work with youth, and want the girls and boys in the surrounding communities to make friends, have a no-drama, bully-free zone that they can enjoy dance, perform, and learn how to become the best they can be, inside and OUTSIDE of the studio. Our volunteers have been teaching dance in the community for over 20 years. We solely rely on donations and sponsors to cover any additional costs we may need. All the info of what it costs you is on our flyer, as we are very determined to keep all info open and transparent to anyone who has questions. Any donations are gratefully accepted. And remember, you can always reach out to us to see how a sponsor can waive your fees! We do not offer refunds as all of our expenses are paid for immediately at the beginning of the seasons.
No, we are mixed-level teams that are recreational status. Experience is a plus though, as that dancer can show off harder combinations/tricks.
Foundations of Jazz and Ballet (Cecchetti Method) are a must, so that will be a big part of class along with learning their routine. In Spring we do Tap and Jazz for Princess Poms and in Fall we do Ballet and Jazz for Princess Poms. Our Baby Bulldogs Ballet is a combination of creative movement with RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) syllabus for Ballet, as well as Miss Catherine's favorite teaching methods and curriculums collected over time :)
No, but we hope they take advantage of being out in the community to perform and give back! We just ask that parents reply right away with their decisions so we can plan accordingly. We want our dancers to have as many opportunities as possible, we want to have a lasting impact on the community when we give back AND provide wonderful memories/experiences for our dancers! Bulldogs In Action is our newest initiative in this and will be a fantastic chance for our dancers, their families, staff and the community as well to give back!
We take care of everything! Parents run around a LOT, and we keep our schedule as consistent and up-front as possible. We don't like surprises (unless it's fun event or two!). We try to plan the whole season's class schedule (and most of our events) ahead of time so it's ready to give to you when you register your dancer. This was tricky during Covid! We sometimes use a few different facilities throughout the season to help with costs (this was tricky during Covid as well!), so we want to make sure parents have all the info immediately. We know parents are tired of last-minute changes, and entire weekends wrapped around activities. We don't want that either! We want you to have all the info you need so you can plan accordingly. The only thing that could be "last minute" is a special event or two we may want to sign up for, and those are always fun, but those are optional to our dancers. (Most of our events are discussed and signed up for before the season starts) But we do hope they take advantage of them, as we want to give the All-Star experience without the All-Star cost! :) Our classes this Fall don't start before 5:45pm. Why? Not only do our teachers have full-time jobs but we get that you do too. Not everyone can rush their kids home to grab dinner and make class, or run through the drive-through as they go through the motions. It's hard. Lots of our families have two full-time working parents, we have single parents who run everywhere, and we want to make sure everyone can get home, enjoy some family time, then come practice with their Poms family :) We have Mommies, Grandmas, and Aunties all involved in our organization so we know family time is the most important. THEN your dancers get to see "their girls", as they like to call them :)
Those are our special events we do throughout the year. Some events will become a staple from year to year, and some events our staff find as the year goes on. We have staff that have been working on special events and working in the community with children for decades, so you can be sure we are ALWAYS keeping our eyes out for new and exciting events for our dancers! ;) We set the standard as many Organizations will try to imitate our events and ideas, but never duplicate! ;) We're proud to have originality and creativity for our families and community!
NO. As of now, our registration costs only cover a small part of rental costs and insurance, and the rest has been covered by donations and fundraisers. We try to give a nice gift/prize for the dancer that sells the most items though! We are careful which fundraisers we choose (if any) as we want to pick ones that have useful items and the less the kids have to sell, the easier for the parents ;) We've all been there! These fundraisers are also ALWAYS OPTIONAL, this is never mandatory. Your registration covers uniforms, bow/accessory, poms, trophies, competition fees and much more. And what's GREAT is your child brings home their uniform/costume to keep, along with a bow/accessories and poms. We're not going to charge you a fee and keep the uniforms/costumes. No fees, keeping uniform/poms/bow, practices that are easy on your schedule (and wallet!) and at the same time keeping the quality! We've heard you and we want to deliver! :)
These are mixed-level (multi-level) classes. Since we are a NON-TRYOUT Organization (unless otherwise noted), we may have basic beginners to advanced. We do our best to highlight those skills in routines as best as we can. This depends on the size of the group, choreography, skill levels, etc. As the Season progresses we may add in harder tricks/skills/patterns in our routines, especially Spring. Even though we are a rec category, we have commitment agreements that need to be signed and followed, as choreography can change/evolve at any time and we need to make sure all dancers come to all practices ready to learn.
We have a few organizations we like to work with and we always take feedback from the parents as to which ones they like the most. Of course, winning is NOT always everything, we want our girls most importantly to learn, make friends, and grow closer together as a team while having fun. It's a special dance family that makes bonds that last a lifetime! But we do like to switch it up and try a few different competition organizations and sometimes we have opportunities to add more throughout the year if the parents like. Our parents have been instrumental in helping up choose competition organizations they truly enjoy going to. Each organization has something different to offer, and we like to have our dancers enjoy as many of them as possible! We stay local for competitions so there isn't a concern about affordability and the uncomfortable position of doing fundraisers to cover costs. If we ever go out of State, it's COMPLETELY optional, and our volunteer staff is experienced and qualified so we can change choreography to make any adjustments for that event.
When you compete in the Fall, you may get paid "bids" (paid registrations) to Spring competitions. If that happens, we keep Spring registration CLOSED and the girls that earned those bids can keep competing in the Spring to different championships. This is why it's crucial to sign up in the Fall as we haven't been able to open Spring registration for 3 years. Our girls have won so many bids in the Fall we continue doing their dance in the Spring (we've been able to teach a couple fun dances on the side as well for our shows!), and that helps save cost majorly in the Spring because we have paid "bids" (registration fees). We may take on a competition through a dance competition circuit like Starbound, KAR or Showstopper (your staff is well-versed in these and were requested by the parents, and went very well!) because those are special ones that only run in the Spring. Spring is a much busier season for competitions normally. We are proud that we are the best deal around in the dance circuit, especially in competitions. Teams pay thousands of dollars in fees and we are happy to be budget-friendly! Everyone should have the chance to dance! :)
One of the top issues we’re seeing from dance teachers and choreographers as evidenced by the amount of complaints and discussions amongst dance teachers throughout the Country, is cheating at competitions.
In particular, the issue is teachers/coaches purposely placing their dancers and teams in easier categories when the dancer’s experience in competition and hours practiced, as well as hours of dance classes taken per week should have them in higher, more appropriate categories of competition. This could be done to make it easier to score higher, to win higher overall awards, to win special judges awards, win scholarships, avoid competing against a teammate, any number of reasons. To cheat like this involves everyone from dancer to parent to Teacher/Coach, to Director.
When signing up for competitions, the competition organization takes a studio, dance program, independent, etc., at their word as to their registering of dancers to be at the correct level. Otherwise, dancers who should have earned awards will not, and dancers will win awards they did not earn.
Though cheating is the easier way to win, we want to teach our dancers to win and lose with integrity and display good sportsmanship and to always believe in themselves. We are a REC (recreation) dance non-for-profit and will place all dancers appropriately. As REC dancers we may go against All-Star dancers and teams, studio dancers and teams, and upper level dancers due to the rules of a particular competition organization. Our dancers are always eager to accept the challenge!
Bulldogs Spirit Poms and Dance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving the community and is not affiliated with any school district, dance institution, park district, youth sports league, one town or township. Serving the Port Barrington, Wauconda, Island Lake, McHenry, Volo, Lakemoor, Lake Barrington, Crystal Lake, Cary, round lake, lake zurich, MUNDELEIN, and surrounding areas. Open to all public, private and homeschooled girls and boys in the area.