NCAA Basketball Dance/Cheer Photos On SI.com

The NCAA basketball tournament is a great opportunity to catch some of the top dance teams in the nation performing in front of huge live and television audiences. The college hoops season ends this weekend, but SI.com has put together a photo gallery of dance teams and cheer squads performing from "Sweet 16" weekend.


To view the SI.com gallery Click Here

Baylor Dance Team Takes 2nd at National Contest

The Baylor Song Leaders won first runner-up Saturday in the American Dance and Drill Team Nationals in Denton.

March 28, 2006
by REBECCA LILLEY
March 28, 2006
The Baylor Lariat


The Baylor Song Leaders placed first runner-up last weekend in the American Dance and Drill Team Nationals in Denton. The event was the dance team's first national competition in 10 years.

Deer Park senior Meaghan Wheeler is co-captain of the squad with Deer Park senior Jenna Ford.

"We put together a fantastic dance that represented Baylor well," Wheeler said. "We competed in front of 150 teams and international squads from Australia and Japan."

Ford said it was exciting to place as high as they did.

"I thought it was successful considering this was our first time to go in so many years," Ford said.

Wheeler said the Song Leaders returned from spring break early and put a lot of time into preparing for the competition.


"We came back on the last Saturday before spring break was over and practiced every day for at least three hours," she said.

Ford said all together, the team spent two months in preparation.

The team competed all day Saturday starting at 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m., finally winning first runner-up.

Jennifer Baker, a Baylor spirit graduate assistant, choreographed the dance. She served as captain of the Song Leaders in 2003-2004.

"It was good for other colleges and high schools to see that first of all, Baylor has a dance team, and second, that Baylor has talented dancers," Baker said.

"They performed in front of everyone at the awards ceremony. It was mostly teams from colleges and community colleges around Texas, but there were some high school teams from surrounding cities," she said.

Wheeler said the team hadn't competed in 10 years because it's been too busy attending athletic events.

"We haven't competed because in our constitution it says we are to be first and foremost a support for Baylor athletics," Wheeler said. "This was our first chance to go in 10 years."

Indiana Pom Squad Fighting Plans To Drop Team

Indiana took third place at the 2003 NDA nationals

From the Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Members of Indiana University's pom squad are trying to build support for their fight against a decision to eliminate their team.

The pom squad's 14 members, who perform halftime dances and lead sideline cheers at football and basketball games, found out in an e-mail two weeks ago that the school would not sponsor the team for next year.

The decision to drop the pom squad was made as part of a review of the school's game-day activities, associate athletic director Chuck Crabb said Wednesday.

"It is important to note that this is not necessarily a permanent decision, but rather the most cost-effective and efficient way at this time to rally fan support for Indiana University athletics teams," he said.

The pom squad is one of three teams in IU's cheerleading program. Members of the other two - one all-female and one with men and women - will be selected at tryouts next month.

Pom squad supporters have created an online petition calling on IU administrators to change their decision.

"We're trying to rally all the support we can get from students and alumni," said Devon Goudge, a squad member from Chicago.

IU athletics spokesman Pete Rhoda said the school paid for travel expenses and some meals for the squad and bought uniforms, shoes and other team apparel.

Goudge said those costs were limited, because pom squad members do not receive scholarships and they raise money to pay for the program, including trips to national dance team competitions. She said it was the pom squad that attracted her to IU.

"I saw the team on ESPN at nationals when I was in high school," she said. "I thought they were amazing, phenomenal dancers, and I wanted to be part of that."

Click Here to sign the petition to save IU Pom

College Dance Team Blog Spotlight on the West Coast

Getting to know four dance teams out west...

Pacific Tiger Girls

The University of the Pacific Tiger Girls perform at UOP athletic events and are coached by former San Francisco 49er Goldrush cheerleader and San Jose Saberkitten Jenise Mills-Fitzpatrick (pictured at right). Mills-Fitzpatrick has also worked extensively with E2K Entertainment group and has helped choreograph a number of NFL halftime productions. She has been a judge at both the collegiate and high school level for the United Spirit Association for five years. Tryouts for the 2006-07 Tigers Girls will be on April 8, 2006.

For more information on the Tiger Girls Click Here


Cal State Fullerton Dance Team

One of the top dance teams in the nation, the Cal State Fullerton Dance Team won its sixth national title in the last seven years at the UDA Nationals in January. The dance team is coached by former team members and alumnae Sam Shen and Jennie Volkert. Dance team members perform at every men's and women's home basketball game. In addition, the team headed to Las Vegas Feb. 4-6 for the United Spirit Association Nationals and took another first place finish. Tryouts for the 2006-07 Cal State Fullerton Dance Team will be on May 4, 2006.

For more information on the CSF Dance Team Click Here

Long Beach State Dance Team

The Long Beach State Dance Team is a competitive squad that performs and cheers at scheduled volleyball and basketball home games. With three national titles, the CSULB Dance Team has, over the past 10 years, been rated a Top 10 Dance Team in the country. In 1999-2000, they placed 2nd in the United Dance Association National Championships and 2nd in the National Dance Association Championships. In 2000-01, they were crowned UDA National Champions and placed in 2001-02.

For more information on the CSULB Dance Team Click Here

Washington State Crimson Girls


Washington State created a dance team in the spring of 2003 under the direction of Spirit Coordinator Amanda Hoppert and Dance Coach Jenne Kissell, and the WSU Crimson Girls have been a tremendous success. They can be seen performing at Cougar football, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball games. The Crimson Girls most current ambition is to attend the Collegiate National Dance Championships.

For more information on the Crimson Girls Click Here

BYU Cougarettes Celebrate 60 Years Of Dance This Week

By Rosalie Westenskow - 14 Mar 2006

BYU NewsNet

A homemade, purple sign holds a place of prominence in the Cougarettes' rehearsal studio and contains the secret to the team's success and unique legacy; it admonishes: "PrACTice like Champions."

As the 2005 National Dance Association Champions and the 2006 USA National Dance Team Champions, the Cougarettes have proven that they both practice and act like champions.

This weekend, the team celebrates its award-winning year and its 60th anniversary with "Cougarettes in Concert." The performance features a wide variety of dance, including hip-hop, character and lyrical jazz dance, as well as a piece performed by Cougarette alumni.

Although most BYU students may associate the Cougarettes with gold pom-poms and performances at football and basketball games, members of the team insist they are dancers first and cheerleaders second.

"Most of us never touched pom-poms until we were Cougarettes," said Erin Richardson, a junior majoring in marriage, family and human development. "It's an added bonus to perform at basketball games and football games, but the type of dancing we do at the concert is what we love to do and have trained to do."

The many-faceted elements of Cougarette performances, whether at sporting events, formal concerts or competitions, require team members to be able to adapt well to different genres. This year, in addition to the usual dance styles performed by the Cougarettes, the concert will feature a tap number, in which about half the team will perform.



Audience members at "Cougarettes in Concert" will also get to see exactly how the Cougarettes won Nationals last year, as the program includes the routine they performed at the championship. "Silent Dolls," a compilation of hip hop and jazz dance, also won a choreography award at last year's competition.

"It's got some very stunning tricks that are incorporated into the dance that just make the audience roar," said Jodi Maxfield, the team's director.

The concert also features the premier performance of the routine the team plans to perform next month at Nationals.

The impending competition places a lot of pressure on the Cougarettes to keep their position as No.1. In 2004, the team won fifth place, meaning the expectations for the team were not as high last year as they are this year.

"There's more pressure just because we're defending a title," team member Richardson said.

Nationals take place every year in Daytona Beach, Fla., and around 250 universities compete. Each school must submit a videotape showcasing a high enough skill level before the competition will even allow a team to attend.

BYU competes in the large dance category, with about 40 other universities.

The competition is an opportunity for the Cougarettes not only to perform and compete, but it also gives team members a chance to share their beliefs with others.

"One of the big things for us at Nationals is to be a good example," said Maddie Horsley, president of the Cougarettes. "For a lot of these girls [from other schools], this is the only contact they'll ever have with the church."

Last year, the Cougarettes gave the other teams at the competition small good-luck gifts, each of which contained a pass-along card from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At competitions, the team tries to demonstrate their beliefs through their dancing and their demeanor.

"The dancing [at competitions] can be really seductive sometimes and we definitely try to avoid that at all costs," said Horsley, a junior majoring in art history.

The efforts made by the team seem to be relaying the desired message to their audiences.

"A lot of people say that there's something different about us," said Richardson, a third-year Cougarette. "Usually they say, 'We don't know what it is,' but we [the Cougarettes] know what it is and it's that we are dancing with the Spirit."

The team will perform "Cougarettes in Concert" Mar. 15-18, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. in room 166 of the Richards Building. Tickets cost $10. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 422-4322 or visit artstix@byu.edu

(For comments, e-mail Rosalie Westenskow at rosaliec@byu.edu)

FIU Golden Dazzlers Auditions!

The FIU Golden Dazzlers will hold auditions for the 2006-07 season on April 23rd, 2006 at NOON at the Pharmed Arena

For More Information: Click Here