'Dance Team’ Has New Name, Success Ensues

September 12, 2008
By Stephanie Calhoun
CUA Tower
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http://www.cuatower.com/2008/09/12/‘dance-team’-has-new-name-success-ensues/

After a record-breaking audition turnout this year, Catholic University’s Dance Team is ready to start an all new year with an all new name.

Captain Crissy Rentas, Junior Biomedical Engineering major, credits the name change from ‘Urban Dance Team’ to simply ‘Dance Team’as a contributing factor to the high level of auditions. “This year, when we advertised for tryouts, we changed the name to Catholic Univerisity Dance Team and the result was that about 30 girls showed up to try out. Last year, only about 15 girls showed up for fall tryouts,” says Rentas.”Overall, I feel the name change was a positive step in identifying who we are as a team and what we stand for. ”

And what it is it that the former Urban Dance Team stands for? “When these people heard the word “urban”, they assumed we were a step team or a break dancing team. A father of one of the girls on the team even joked with us referring to us as, ‘The Suburban Dance Team” said Rentas. She explained, however, that “Our team is made of girls from several different dance backgrounds, some without any dance background at all.”

One thing that isn’t changing is what the dance team does. The team of 19 performs hip-hop style routines at many of the home football and basketball games, as well as special events on campus such as Luaupalooza and the FOCUS culture show. Their first performance this year will be during halftime of the September 20th football game at the Duf against McDaniel.
Rentas anticipates that this year’s team will be a successful one. “We find that it’s a way to relax,” says Rentas. “You get to be surrounded by girls who love to do what you do.”