Anticipatory silence filled the room as the senior king candidates took the stage. All eyes were set on them as they found their spots and waited. Then the music began. The candidates began to move. And . . . they danced.

As an annual tradition, the five king nominees contribute to homecoming week with an 10-minute dance, which they perform in front of the entire student body, Oct. 24. Different than the usual schedule, this year the King Dance was performed after second period, due to multiple students leaving for a choir concert.

The senior king candidates Caleb Nale, Kyle Hudecek, Bobby Christopher, Noah Belmont and Grant Flammang danced to multiple songs, including “The Wop,” “What Does the Fox Say,” “Ice Ice Baby,” “Toxic” and “Yeah.” Unique to this year, the group also used props such as cups for “The Cup Song.”

The performance was the result of many hours of work and dedication which often requiring the candidates to step out of their normal range of skills. With the help of their choreographers, Cally Fries, ’15, and Amanda Menes, ’14, the kings were able to complete the dance on time.

The dance often takes the performers out of their comfort zone and Nale felt especially out of place as he learned how to dance.

“None of us can dance,” Nale said, “Especially me. So the most embarrassing part is showing off our dance skills . . . that we don’t have.”

Flammang enjoyed the experience and was entirely unfazed by the potentially embarrassing moments of his routine. Despite have to shake his hips in front of his peers, he was only having fun.

“There is no embarrassing part of dancing,” Flammang said, “I just have fun. So I don’t really care.”

Once on the performance began, the roar or applause gave testimony to the crowd’s enjoyment. The candidates went through several songs, and each song featured a a different contestant’s unique style. Senior Jimmy Chang enjoyed seeing Christopher perform in a manner that was unlike him.

“I thought [the dance] was pretty funny,” Chang said. “Normally Bobby {Christopher} wouldn’t dance like this. I know him pretty well, so it’s fun to see him be crazy up on stage too.”

Aliciana Quintana, ’14, also found that the most enjoyable aspect of the pageant was seeing her friends dance. She especially liked seeing Hudecek’s routine.

“My favorite part was Kyle {Hudecek} dancing,” Quintana said. “He’s really funny and I’m good friends with him. Seeing him up there was the highlight of this year.”

Besides being a source of entertainment for the student body, the King Dance is also an integral part of the homecoming experience. Alumnus Tyler Duerr, ’10, a former King candidate, fondly remembered his part in the dance.

“It was fun because you get to be with four other people who were voted in to represent your class,” Duerr said. “And {you} make a fool of yourself and dance. You get to take part in a special way in this school-wide festivity and that’s one of the funnest times of the year.”

The King Pageant also included the yearly “King Bash” video, as well as an opportunity for the nominees to try out their best pick-up lines on the queen candidates. After concluding the other events, the kings gave an encore performance, showcasing their moves for the second time.

A school wide election followed the event to decide who becomes the next homecoming king. The winner will be announced during half-time of Friday’s game, beginning at 7 p.m., Oct. 25.

This author can be reached via Twitter: @JohnathanNyberg. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather. Please return to this article later for a slideshow and videos as they become available.

King Dance 2013-’14 (VIDEO) a from The Feather Online on Vimeo.

King Dance by Slidely – Slideshow maker

For more features, read the Oct. 24 article, Tasks, activities showcase queens.