BHS grad named to T-Wolves dance team
By Brian D. Bridgeford
News Republic
August 18, 2011
Baraboo High School graduate Markee Huinker likes a challenge, so she feels a particularly proud this month after winning one of 12 spots on the dance team of the Minnesota Timberwolves professional basketball team. It is a dream come true, she said.
Huinker is a member of the BHS Class of 2008 and the daughter of Baraboo residents Renae and Joe Huinker. This fall she begins her senior year working toward a degree in kinesiology, the study of human movement, and dance at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus.
In a video of the selection process on the Timberwolves’ official website, Huinker’s is the first name dancers Head Coach Natalie Alvarado calls out as she names the Timberwolves Dancers for 2011-2012.
Huinker said the selection process began Aug. 1 with an open audition that winnowed about 60 young women down to 19 finalists. Everyone who wants to be on the dance team must compete, including women who won a spot in previous years.
“The 19 finalists went through a week of boot camps and rehearsals and learning choreography,” she said. “We did a production and final audition on Aug. 9.”
Huinker said it was immediately after their final performance that Coach Alvarado announced she was among the dancers selected for 2011-2012.
“We were in poses at the end and they said the names,” she said.
Renae Huinker said she is extremely proud of her daughter and happy for her.
“She sets her mind to something and she definitely succeeds,” she said. “That’s the way she has always been.”
Joe Huinker said he also is very proud of Markee. He read a quote she once put on paper that shows what a determined person she is.
“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have,” he read.
Markee Huinker said she has studied dance since age 3 or 4. She began with the Penny Imray Dancers of Baraboo and then Kris Pickar’s School of Dance in Sauk City.
In high school, Huinker began traveling to Madison four or five times a week for three hours of rehearsal with a competitive dance team, West Side Performing Arts. She also was a member of the BHS pom-pon squad and its captain in junior and senior years.
“The dance I’ve done outside of school has been more ballet, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop,” she said. “In Madison it was with a team that traveled. It was very intense and there was a lot of discipline.”
Huinker said the discipline she learned in competitive dancing has served her in other aspects of her life.
Huinker said her kinesiology studies at UM-Twin Cities have an emphasis on exercise and health sciences. She already works teaching fitness to groups and wants to move into personal training, lifestyle and weight management coaching.
“Lifestyle and weight management coach, that’s like all around changing your lifestyle, providing you with resources to try and achieve optimal health,” she said. “It’s not just about how you eat or how you exercise, it’s also about stress management and your emotions.”
However, Huinker said she also is studying dance with an eye on a second bachelor’s degree. Winning a place on the dance team allows her to follow that love in an elite, professional environment.
“For me to be able to entertain and share my passion for dance on a professional level, that is a dream come true,” she said. “This is an absolute perfect fit because I’m also into sports and fitness.”
Huinker said being with the Timberwolves Dancers is a paid, part-time job and she hopes to be there for several years. When she looks out at the world she feels optimistic and sees many career paths open to her.
“I hope this is a stepping stone for bigger things, bigger opportunities in life as well in my dance career,” she said. “This is one opportunity that will help me grow and push me forward.”
