Lauren MacGillivray, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Although he doesn't play traditional high school sports, Raymond San Agustin has found a way to contribute to Bishop McNally athletics.

The Grade 12 student is a member of McNally's dance team, which performs a rare mix of hip-hop, funk and reggae at high school sporting events.

"When there's tournaments, McNally has a better crowd turnout than most people," he says.

"Because, like, six basketball games, over and over again, can kind of get tedious. It gives people something more to watch than just basketball."

San Agustin is one of nine males on the 22-member squad.

"One of my best friends is a choreographer, so I wasn't that threatened by it," he says. "And I've been dancing since Grade 5, like break-dancing, and girls always like guys who can dance."

Athletic director Derek Fink recognizes the benefits for other athletes.

"They love the idea that we have a dance team, it's very popular in the school," he says.

"For our (tournament) opening ceremonies, these guys have traditionally performed and the kids come out not only for the basketball games, but to see this."

The dance team also performs at events outside the sports realm and even has been training with Alberta Ballet.

But involvement in athletics, such as shaking it at last month's basketball city championships, is the highlight.

"I loved it," says San Agustin. "We never really got a chance to do such a big crowd, normally it's just the BMI (Bishop McNally Invitational Basketball Tournament) and the hardcore fans. So that gave us a chance to get out there and have a lot more people see us other than just our school."

Lisa Gamos joined the dance team after moving to Calgary from Winnipeg last year. She appreciates the school's athletic diversity.

"People usually focus on basketball and volleyball, like, 'Oh, that's the best,' " says the Grade 11 student. "But there are other things to look forward to, like dance."

Although there are several non-competitive high school cheerleading squads in Calgary, McNally offers the only local dance team of its kind.

Choreographer Ashley Perez, 20, is the mastermind behind the squad.

The former McNally student was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma (cancer originating in lymphatic tissue) when she was in Grade 9. She went into remission after eight months of treatment and, by Grade 11, was looking to express her appreciation of life.

She launched the dance team with the help of McNally art teacher Ann Howell.

"I actually tried to get on the volleyball team and all that kind of stuff and wasn't able to get on the teams I wanted," says Perez. "I was kind of bored and I needed something for me."

She's happy to see the team's impact on McNally athletics.

"At first, they weren't so sure but I think after a while the athletes and coaches started to appreciate us," she says. "We actually (practise) longer than the athletes would sometimes and we're not just like a regular team -- we're all year, even in the summer we have some performances."

The dance team's next performance is April 27 at McNally at 7 p.m.

lmacgillivray@theherald.canwest.com