EVANSTON — Two groups of Evanston dancers participated in this year’s Stadium of Fire on Saturday, July 1, performing in front of a live audience of 60,000 and a large TV broadcast audience. 

Jamie Liechty of Evanston Dance Academy and Samantha Moon and Laurel Higdon of STARS! said the Stadium of Fire, held at the LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, is the only show that the Pentagon allows to be broadcast on military TV worldwide. They also said the show is the biggest Independence Day celebration in the U.S.

Stadium of Fire features not only dancers from the western U.S. — including Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington, Moon said — but big-name performers and millions of fireworks. This year’s lineup included Hunter Hayes, Little Big Town and Brian Regan. 

A total of 20 girls from Evanston — eight teenaged girls from Evanston Dance Academy who participated as main dancers and 12 junior dancers from STARS! — attended and put in weeks of hard work after submitting successful auditions to participate. That work crescendos to a climax the last few days before the concert, as hundreds of dancers converge on the stadium for three days of intense practice. 

Because of the level of commitment required, Stadium of Fire is an option and a privilege for dancers but not a requirement. 

Moon said the practices were grueling, including five hours the first day, 10.5 hours the second day (with dress rehearsal) and four hours of practice the morning of the performance before they danced before the audience. Higdon said some of the choreography was even being changed up to the morning of the performance as things were tweaked. 

But all three dance directors agreed that the stress and hard work are worth it, which is why they return year after year (this is Evanston Dance Academy’s sixth year, and the third year for STARS!). The girls come away starry-eyed albeit tired, yearning to return the next year.

“Through their hard work, they have that awesome reward at the end. ... They come out a stronger, more confident dancer,” Liechty said. “I also think the reward of the girls learning and feeling that respect for our country, for the soldiers who are fighting for our freedoms, I feel that’s worth it for them to have that teaching moment as well.”

She also said the girls have good bonding time during the entire experience, from practice to waiting offstage to dancing in sync.

“It’s extremely hard. And it’s extremely taxing,” Higdon said. “But they can do it. They can persevere.” 

Moon said the girls find it an amazing experience to be part of such a big show, with 60,000 people watching, famous entertainers, a huge fireworks show and TV broadcasting — all of which combines to impress upon the girls the meaning of service toward country and patriotism. 

“And I think, for those littles, I’m like, that’s got to be crazy scary!” Moon commented. “They just walked out and … because they’re told to look up in the stands, they’re staring at the crowds full of people.” 

“They don’t even see how many people are really out there until they walk out at the performance,” Higdon added. 

Higdon said she thinks the experience will motivate the girls to try harder and to seek out big challenges in future. The Stadium of Fire also opens the directors’ options, as their girls have been tested and flourished. Higdon said STARS! has considered sending dancers to perform at Disneyland, and this experience opens up new doors for future challenges. 

Liechty said the Stadium of Fire leaves such an impression on her dancers that they often want to continue going even when they go on to high school. She allows them that option as long as they continue dancing with her studio.