A Look into Halftime at Friday Night Football Games

At a Friday night football game, you might see halftime as a chance to go to the bathroom or get a snack at the concession stand. But for the band and Belles, it is their chance to perform. Both band and the belles work hard to put on a great halftime show each week.

To start, the Belles have practice almost every day after school to work on their dances. They have to work on memory, precision, and technique to successfully perform. Some dances, such as kick routines, also require a lot of flexibility and strength. Everything in a dance has to be done in unison, or it might look chaotic. To make sure that everyone is ready and prepared for any elements involved in a routine, they audition their dance for Friday night each week. This helps people stay on top of their game, and it pushes people to practice at home to be sure they understand everything. Working hard every day, the Belles prepare for their weekly halftime performance.

The band is also hard at work every week to prepare for the upcoming halftime show. They have practice every morning before school and continue through first period. They also have several evening rehearsals, which can be a couple of hours, and take up a lot of time for a high school student. On top of the hard work they put in at school and on the field, they also have to individually practice at home to make sure they can play the piece correctly. The band also has various, amazing leaders and staff that help guide the group to be ready for Friday night. The band puts in countless hours each week to make sure they have the precision and unison they need for their halftime performance.

Band and Belles also work together to be in sync when halftime comes around. The band plays music for the Belles, so they need to be on the same page. Once a week, the Belles join the band at their morning practice to rehearse the dance they are performing that week. Sometimes they need to tweak the tempo of the music or work on spacing on the field. They also communicate throughout the week to get the right song prepared. Both organizations work together to make the halftime show as perfect as possible.

Everyone that performs in the halftime show on Friday nights works really hard to be able to do so. So maybe next time you watch the halftime show, you’ll see how much effort and time goes into it!

Photo credit to Lin Thompson.