Fremling takes dance for a spin
By Karena Burgstaler
Kaila Fremling is a 17-year-old junior at Aitkin High School. Something you may not know about Kaila is that she competitively dances in over five different styles of dance. She does a variety of styles including Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet and Musical Theatre, but her favorite style is Tap. Kaila got into dancing all because of her Grandpa. “My grandpa was really into sports, and thought I should join a sport even though I was only three years old,” she said. When her parents saw that Music General was going to hold classes at the 40 Club Convention Center here in Aitkin, they decided to sign her up. Kaila then went on to take classes and dance competitively at Music General in Brainerd for 13 years, but she recently switched studios. She now dances at DCT, also known as Dreams Come True, in Grand Rapids, MN.
Kaila is currently taking three classes a week at DCT, but dances everyday in her “at home studio.” Her “at home studio” in her basement consists of a 5x5 piece of marley flooring, which studio dancers compete on, large wall mirrors, a ballet bar, mats for tricks, and some loud speakers for music. Kaila competes at different competitions around Minnesota 4-5 times a year with 6-7 routines at each. For Kaila’s senior year, she will be competing in seven different routines, two being a tap and a contemporary solo. Besides competition, DCT hosts an annual spring show and a “Dance for Dinner” fundraiser in the winter.
Kaila prefers studio dance over the high school dance team because it’s so different. She says, “You get to branch out and meet new people, there is a lot of one-on-one time with your coaches, and they go more in depth with all the moves.” Studio dance is also all year long, whereas high school dance has a few specific months for their season. Her favorite tricks to do and practice are her turns, especially her alicicones. “Turns may look simple and easy to do, but they take a lot of core strength and balance,” she said. “Being onstage can be nerve racking, but once you step foot onto it, the thrill is like being on the top of the world.”
Other than dance, Kaila is involved in Tennis, One Act Play, BPA, Peer Leaders, International Club, and National Honor Society here at AHS.
Kaila Fremling is a 17-year-old junior at Aitkin High School. Something you may not know about Kaila is that she competitively dances in over five different styles of dance. She does a variety of styles including Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet and Musical Theatre, but her favorite style is Tap. Kaila got into dancing all because of her Grandpa. “My grandpa was really into sports, and thought I should join a sport even though I was only three years old,” she said. When her parents saw that Music General was going to hold classes at the 40 Club Convention Center here in Aitkin, they decided to sign her up. Kaila then went on to take classes and dance competitively at Music General in Brainerd for 13 years, but she recently switched studios. She now dances at DCT, also known as Dreams Come True, in Grand Rapids, MN.
Kaila is currently taking three classes a week at DCT, but dances everyday in her “at home studio.” Her “at home studio” in her basement consists of a 5x5 piece of marley flooring, which studio dancers compete on, large wall mirrors, a ballet bar, mats for tricks, and some loud speakers for music. Kaila competes at different competitions around Minnesota 4-5 times a year with 6-7 routines at each. For Kaila’s senior year, she will be competing in seven different routines, two being a tap and a contemporary solo. Besides competition, DCT hosts an annual spring show and a “Dance for Dinner” fundraiser in the winter.
Kaila prefers studio dance over the high school dance team because it’s so different. She says, “You get to branch out and meet new people, there is a lot of one-on-one time with your coaches, and they go more in depth with all the moves.” Studio dance is also all year long, whereas high school dance has a few specific months for their season. Her favorite tricks to do and practice are her turns, especially her alicicones. “Turns may look simple and easy to do, but they take a lot of core strength and balance,” she said. “Being onstage can be nerve racking, but once you step foot onto it, the thrill is like being on the top of the world.”
Other than dance, Kaila is involved in Tennis, One Act Play, BPA, Peer Leaders, International Club, and National Honor Society here at AHS.