"She’s a maniac, maniac on the floor, and she dances, like she’s never danced before." It’s a flashback to the movie "Flashdance", and a peek into the world of a dancer.
Meet Rotem Ben-Shachar, a 15-year-old sophomore at Paly and a self-proclaimed "dance-a-holic!" She began dancing at the age of three and in addition to dancing on Paly’s dance team, she competes with her dance school, Dance Connections.

The dedication is intense, with two to four hours a day of practice, five days a week. That may seem like a lot of dancing, but to Ben-Shachar dancing is a second nature. All of Ben-Shachar’s hard work shows in competitions and required classes. In Paly’s first competition this year the team placed first out of two teams.

The Paly dance team had been preparing to compete in Oahu, Hawaii all year. The competition took place the weekend of Feb. 13. Ben-Shachar competed in the dance/pom category along with the rest of the team. "We practice more now that the competition is getting close," Ben-Shachar said a week before competition "Hopefully it will show when we go to Hawaii."

All the practice and hard work definitely showed in Hawaii; the team placed third in their category.

The dance performed by Paly was judged by three different judges, who were looking for good choreography, technique, costumes, and of course smiles. The routine the team performed is a form of dancing called ‘rat poison’. Ben-Shachar explained that the idea of rat poison is to look depressed and tortured. She said it was a popular dance technique used by many in competition. The team used music from Lincoln Park and other rock bands to make up it’s background music. Ben-Shachar says she loves to perform on stage and is glad judges look for smiles, because for her, smiling is second nature.

Ben-Shachar said she joined Paly’s dance team because she thought it would be fun, and for her smiling comes naturally. Many of the members of the Paly dance team are also members of Dance Connection. "They convinced me to join, and I’m really glad that they did." she said. The team continues to get better, year by year and hopes that tradition will continue. Ben-Shachar wants keep dancing on the dance team until she graduates.

Outside of school, Ben-Shachar spends most of her time at Dance Connections. Although it is less competitive than some area schools, it is still considered a contender at dance competitions. The girls go to conventions, competitions and camps together. This time together has helped forge some lifelong friendships.

The girls performed "Nutcracker" and "Sleeping Beauty" this year, and take classes in ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop. "I’m playing Cinderella in Sleeping Beauty. It’s fun to be able to incorporate different dances into the play. When it’s done I’m sure it will be great," Ben-Shachar says.

Even with all the fun and accomplishments, there is a stressful side too. "People can be pushy and wear flashy outfits just to get attention," notes Ben-Shachar. Girls avid in dance can be affected by eating disorders, and even take so many dance classes that they need to be home-schooled. Although Ben-Shachar herself doesn’t personally know anyone who has been that affected by dance, she has heard the horror stories and is happy that she and her friends have been able to keep it all in perspective.

Keeping things in perspective seems to be exactly what Ben-Shachar does best. In addition to dancing, she manages to play tennis one hour per week, and has a huge interest in journalism, Spanish and Hebrew. Although she would love to continue dancing through college, Ben-Shachar is not considering dancing professionally. "I want to continue dancing, but not as a career," Ben-Shachar said "There is a lot of pressure and commitment involved with dancing, and I hope to have time for other things in my life."