Minnesota State Championships are approaching.

Dance-Twirl Minnesota hosts several baton twirling competitions every year and this year is no exception. Dance-Twirl Minnesota hosts their first competition of the competition season on January 25 at the Armory in Cottage Grove.

This competition invites twirlers from all over the Twin Cities, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin for events that are open to all competitors. While residents of Minnesota will compete for coveted State Titles.

Dance-Twirl Minnesota will have over 20 individual competitors and 6 teams competing for State titles.

The competition begins at 9 am and will continue throughout the day with team events beginning at 2:30 pm. Spectators are welcome and admission is $6. The Armory in Cottage Grove is located at 8180 Belden Blvd, Cottage Grove, MN 55016.

Competitive Baton Twirling Events – Are all of these events important?

Many times people will ask master level baton twirling teachers and judges why events such as modeling and x-strut are found at baton twirling competitions?   Don Sartell, the founder of modern day baton twirling, is a genius when it comes to baton twirling.  He knew that twirlers would need a well-rounded background to achieve success in their future and over many, many years baton twirling developed to include three major events, solo (or one-baton twirling), x-strut and modeling.

Solo is when the competitor completes a routine for a specified amount of time based on their ability level.  This routine includes a well-balanced, variety of tricks and maneuvers that demonstrate the student’s potential.  Solo is the most visually appealing and impressive to a general audience.  You can view an excellent example of a solo by clicking  on this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1ZYWLlHafM.

While solo is appealing to a general audience, the X-Strut is an important piece of developing the twirling athlete.  The X-Strut combines dance moves along with full-hand twirls and the competitor follows an “X” formation.  While no tossing is involved in this routine, athletes learn timing with the music, full-body extension and coordination of the body and baton.  The ability to successfully compete in X-Strut can be helpful as twirlers pursue a collegiate career where timing, movement transitions and dance are incredibly important.

Modeling can be the most difficult event for people to understand its importance.  The modeling event that is completed within the baton competition demonstrates to the judge the athlete’s confidence, poise and grace.  Athletes learn how to gracefully and confidently walk as well as learn to be interviewed by a “stranger” or the competition judge.  The judge asks the competitor questions to analyze their conversation skills. Competitors become comfortable creating answers quickly, speaking to others while talking confidently with good eye contact.  These skills are so important to that student as they become an adult.  Competitors that are successful at modeling become great at interviewing for future career opportunities.  Many baton twirlers will say that they were able to earn their current positions because of the skills learned in modeling.

After a brief overview of the three main events at a baton twirling competition, hopefully you have a better understanding of how important each event is in developing a well-rounded twirler.

Jacinda Miller, Director/Owner of Dance-Twirl Minnesota, has over 30 years of experience in baton twirling and is an expert instructor in all 3 of these events.  Contact us at dance-twirlmn.com to learn more about the fantastic sport of baton twirling.