Junior, Kara Marks, is one of the friendly and familiar faces you see often in Kearsley High School. Marks is a member of the Kearsley dance team, K-MOTION. She dedicates her free time to the dance team, spending time with friends, going to concerts, and traveling. Marks has an older sister who is a Kearsley alumni that she looks up to the most. She comes to all of her performances, and is always there by her side for all her accomplishments.
Dance has always been a part of Kara’s life. When Marks was little she danced for an actual dance company for a couple years and then no longer continued. She then later discovered Kearsley’s dance team which she would then join and find her love for dancing. She first joined
Kearsley’s dance team her 8th grade year, later joining the team her freshman year. She has continued to be a part of the Kearsley varsity dance team since.
When asked what made Marks join the dance team, she stated, “I’ve always loved to dance and I looked up to the high schoolers on K-MOTION. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and gain confidence by joining the team.”
K-MOTION doesn’t just dance at half time during basketball games, they also dance in the schools homecoming pep assembly. Marks said, “It’s one of my favorite times to perform. The energy of the crowd helps the whole team gain confidence.”
In order to prepare for a performance she makes sure her legs are stretched, and she runs through the dance multiple times. For most of their practices they work on choreography to make their dance, and then run through the dance fine tuning it until it is perfect.
When looking forward to the upcoming season, Marks expressed great pride in her work and excitement to continue.
“I look forward to hanging out with the team and gaining more skills in each routine,” Marks said.
In order to keep her busy life controlled, she uses a planner to keep things organized. If she needs time to study she lets her coach know in advance she won’t be able to make it to practice. Marks has made many close friends through the dance team including past graduates that she is still in touch with to this day.
Every performance isn’t always perfect and each person is different in how they handle their hiccup, “I make sure to keep a smile on my face and I don’t freeze when I make a mistake. I keep pushing through the dance like nothing happened,” Marks expressed.
Kara Marks loves going to see her favorite artists in concert during her free time. Her first concert she attended was Bruno Mars when she was little for one of her birthdays. She saw Bruno Mars with her mom, sister, grandma, and a family friend. Marks favorite concert was Benson Boone. She saw him twice, once in Michigan and again in Florida. These are her favorite concerts because she was able to meet him afterwards. Being at a concert rather than at home listening to music for Marks is different because she can feel the energy of the crowd. It makes her feel at home because everyone is there for the same thing.
“I went to Niall Horan and I immediately got the chills when he played ‘Fire Away’ because it has always made me emotional and I relate to the lyrics,” expressed Marks.
Marks enjoys being able to travel the world. Her favorite place to travel was Las Vegas, Nevada, because she went with her family and best friends. She loved being able to see everything lit up when they went out at night. What she liked most about Las Vegas was walking around at night and going into stores. For her next adventure Marks is going to Costa Rica. In the future she would love to travel to California. She can’t wait to go to California to see the Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign, and the beaches.
Between the crowds, the energy, the dances, and the music, Marks finds herself valuing the time spent with the people she loves, doing what she loves.
