During the day, Abington Friends School students are guided through rigorous courses to engage in problem-solving and hands-on activities. In addition, AFS offers a variety of dance, cheer, and theatre classes to stimulate not only the mind but the body as well.
As a result, our institution completely transforms during the winter season when the dance team called High Frequency makes its guest appearance at spirit night. It is a night in mid-January dedicated to fundraising, school sports, and spirit. This year, it was held on January 16, 2026.
High Frequency was established in 2024 by students expressing interest in dance as a sport and a possible opportunity for a ROOPAC (athletic credit). The team is led by Kandace Armstrong, lovingly known as “Ms. Kandy.”
In the past, Armstrong has choreographed AFS plays and musicals. The energy she exudes creates a positive environment for students to make mistakes and learn from them, as seen in High Frequency’s performance during the halftime show.
As Robbie Brickhouse ‘26 steps into his final year as a member and as Avery Stroebele ’27 approaches her first year on the team, this season of High Frequency leaves behind a legacy of memories, new connections, and knowledge guided by the help of Ms. Kandy.
How did you get interested in the dance team?
Armstrong: I started at a young age; my mom used to say that I was dancing in her stomach. I grew up dancing in the mirror, playing all my music videos, and constantly hitting rewind. One day, my high school had a talent show, and I decided to get up and dance for the first time.
I got on the stage, and I was like, “Mom this is what I want to do, please put me into dance classes.” I was 15 years old then I started teaching dance at 17, and now I’ve been teaching dance for 20 years and I can’t look back.
What was the highlight of your performance for Spirit Night 2026?
Brickhouse: My highlight was from the “Remember the Time” by Michael Jackson scene or the last song that I had my solo in.
Armstrong: I love seeing the dancers’ hard work pay off. In the past, I’ve had opportunities to dance behind various artists and go on tour, but I feel like I would never be able to get the joy that I get from teaching and seeing the youth being able to benefit from it.
Stroebele: I enjoyed seeing my fellow dancers act and performing with them.
What do you look forward to doing next year with the dance team? What impact do you hope you left on the dance team as a senior?
Stroebele: I want to do something more challenging while having a new plot with a different genre of songs.
Armstrong: I look forward to giving the kids more dance because a lot of outlets for children are being lost. If I can give that outlet to them and they can find joy in dance, it brings me joy, too. Next year we are going to continue to keep it joyful.
Brickhouse: As the only guy on High Frequency, I hope everyone continues to be inspired by dance, have lots of energy, love what they do, and not listen to what others have to say negatively about it. Just be proud overall!
Jason Holloway • May 5, 2026 at 6:42 am
I think that student-led sports would be a great and fun addition to the school. The dance team is a great example; they have made lots of dances by themselves, which are really great, including Spirit Night. especially because compared to other schools, we don’t have the same amount of sports. Some new sports could include, maybe, a chess team or another club that could somehow be turned into a competitive sport. Or maybe use something that we already play in the halls or outside, like hacky sack, which is a game that everyone is playing that could possibly be turned into a sport.
Fia • May 4, 2026 at 1:45 pm
I think this article really shows how much thought and effort people here put into this dance group and how much they love it. I love watching people do what they love because you can see all of the time they put into these amazing dances they perform for us. The people on this dance team are so talented and I love it when they come out and get the whole school to sing and clap along. Their dances are so creative and I love how they do different mash ups with different songs. I think they should add some sort of flag football. Since we are a quaker school, flag football takes the more violent part of football out. I think it would ne really fun to have spirit nights, like we do in the winter, but have them hosted outside since its starting to get warmer.
Harrison • May 3, 2026 at 4:31 pm
I think this article does a great job highlighting the hard work and benefits that came out of the dance group, High-Frequency. I appreciated Robbie’s remarks that it is important to do what you love without worrying about what other people think. I think a lot of people in high school could really benefit from that ideology. I have seen high-frequency dance multiple times, and every time I’m blown away by the consistency and dedication of each member of the team. I have also gotten to work with Miss Kandi myself, and she is a lovely person who inspires the youth. I hope to see high frequency continue their work even after I leave AFS this year.
Natalia • Apr 26, 2026 at 10:29 pm
Though I didn’t work with Ms.Kandy on High Frequency, from the moment I first interacted with her, I knew there was something special about her. If you ask me, the dedication and work that goes into the two teams Ms.Kandy leads are deserving of more credit than they get, and they put in just as much work as any other sports team. Ms.Kandy provides a space for student-athletes to embrace their inner artists and work together to create artwork that represents the team as a whole. The work that goes into these routines can not just simply be put as a group of students coming together and dancing; it’s so much more than that. The experience wouldn’t be the same without Ms.Kandy either. It’s hard for athletes, especially those in a field where they can’t be judged or coached by a rulebook skill set, to feel comfortable in their sport. With Ms.Kandy, it’s easy to feel right at home.
[email protected] • Apr 26, 2026 at 1:10 pm
I have worked with Kandy on multiple occasions. From Assistant Choreographing some productions to taking her hip hop classes even when I wasn’t a student at AFS, Kandy has been one of the reasons why I love AFS as much as I do. I’ve been dancing for 13 years, but hip hop has never been a strength of mine. Seeing how much the dancers on High Frequency have achieved along with watching their drive grow has been so rewarding. I hope one day AFS can have a stronger program in dance. The culture around dance can be extremely toxic, so much so that I quit dance for a while. Being Indian in a sport where that’s not normal was really hard through my middle school years, but stepping to the environment Kandy creates in the studio has rekindled my love for the sport.
Percy • Apr 22, 2026 at 9:43 pm
I have seen High Frequency perform at a bunch of student events and each time they are amazing. However, what i think is slightly more important than that – is that they are apart of so many different student events that the dance team really becomes just like part of the culture of AFS. Due to a lot of clubs only having their events and their volunteer service hours then counting themselves as done, a lot of clubs at AFS end up fractured because clubs across AFS don’t end up interacting that much. However I think High Frequency is really good at being apart of so many student events and connecting across different students groups.
[email protected] • Apr 21, 2026 at 2:12 pm
The dance team has been a dream opportunity for me to fulfill athletic requirements in a way that entails less mental strain and more opportunity for me to thrive. Whenever I was involved in sports or gym class as a kid, I was miserable. I experienced some bullying, and the high-pressure and overstimulating environment of sports can trigger my anxiety. This used to make me think I just hated exercise – when it turns out I love it, on my own or on the dance team. While I am not the best at dance, I am okay, and I actually enjoy doing it. When I saw the video of our halftime show this year, I was shocked at how perfectly I actually hit every step – I didn’t think I could do that, but practice had paid off. I think it’s very important that schools offer cross-disciplinary opportunities for fitness, rather than trying to shove everyone into the same model.