Alexis Klabunde is the head coach of the Minot High School varsity dance team. She also teaches second grade at Dakota Elementary School.

The Minot Daily News spoke to Klabunde about balancing her time as a teacher and coach. Some responses are edited for brevity and clarity.

MDN: What’s the best part about being a dance coach?

AK: Being a dance coach allows me to stay connected to a sport that I am passionate about. I spent my first season as a dance coach completely mesmerized by the impact that I had on my team. I had the direct ability to create mental toughness, increase their skill level and bring people together.

A lot of the time, people say that athletes can learn so much from their coach. While I believe that to be true, I learned so much from my dancers. They showed me perseverance, drive, ambition, kindness and work ethic. They showed how much respect they had for me. My dancers were truly interested in what I had to say and sought out my feedback to make them better.

MDN: What did you learn about your team this season?

AK: I learned that my team can be pushed to new limits and reach new levels of success. When my team faced an obstacle, they looked it in the eye. They made a plan and went right for what they wanted. They had the strength to bring their all against a strong opponent and respected the outcome they got.

The varsity dance team received a third-place trophy at the state competition in their jazz routine. Throughout the season, the dance team analyzed their scores from judges, judges’ comments and were 100% driven to improve the next time. In the end, the dance team walked away knowing they worked hard and improved in scores each time they competed.

MDN: What does it mean to you to represent Minot High?

AK: I attended Minot High School, danced for the varsity dance team and graduated in 2014. I feel proud to represent the school and the dance program that built me. Minot High’s mission is to empower all learners to succeed in a changing world. I am proud to stand behind that as a teacher and a coach.

MDN: What can young people learn through dance?

AK: Dance allows young people to learn perseverance, discipline, teamwork, passion and self-confidence. One of the best things about dance is getting to express yourself through movement.

MDN: Do you have any favorite routines from your time as a dancer?

AK: When I was a senior in high school, we danced a jazz routine to the song “In the Air Tonight” by Nonpoint. I loved every second of performing this routine because I got to be dramatic, tell a story through my team’s movement and think about nothing else in the world except that dance.

MDN: What is the best nutrition plan for dancers?

AK: Most don’t realize the physical requirements of dancers. Each practice consists of conditioning, endurance drills, core strengthening, repeated skill movements to build strength and the ability to do an incredibly difficult dance “full-out”. Dancers have high rates of injury because of the intricate movements they do. This means a high-calorie diet that consists of whole grains and good carbohydrates. The dancers need food as fuel to get through their daily practices to build strength and endurance to decrease the chances of injury.

MDN: Who inspired you as a dancer?

AK: I was inspired to become a dancer by the University of Minnesota dance team. I grew up watching videos of their routines and feeling goosebumps. I wanted to be just like them, and now I want to coach a team to be like them. The Minot High dance team will be working hard in the upcoming offseason with very big goals to reach.

MDN: What’s your favorite part about teaching?

AK: My favorite part about teaching is that I get to laugh every single day. Working with children has taught me that I don’t have the power to change the world for them. I do have the power to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful with the world we are living in. I truly love it when I get to sit back and listen to my students tell me stories about their life or tell me jokes. I get to be a big part of a lot of children’s lives. Most importantly, playing outside at recess with my students shows them that I am a person that likes to have fun. They trust, respect and believe in me. This is what sets the tone for teaching them the content in the classroom.

MDN: As a teacher, how are you handling everything that is going on with the COVID-19 pandemic?

AK: The pandemic has caused our education system to be changed within a moment’s notice. Schools never “closed”, relationships never ended and communication hasn’t stopped. In the beginning, I felt pressure to make sure that I was doing this “distance learning” thing perfectly. But what I quickly learned was that I didn’t need to be perfect. I just needed to show my families and students that I was here for them. The biggest part of my teaching day now is connecting with my students in different ways. I have sent videos of me reading to them, telling jokes and even pictures of what I am doing today.

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.