College Dance Team Central

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Minnesota Captures Two Golds At World Cheer Competition

By Paul Walsh
StarTribune.com

Competing as Team USA, the University of Minnesota Dance Team captured two gold medals and a silver at the International Cheer Union Worlds Competition in Orlando, Fla.

The 16-member cheer/dance team's routines earned gold in the jazz and freestyle (including pom) divisions and silver in hip-hop on Friday.

In January, the Minnesotans claimed national championships in two divisions. That allowed it to represent USA in Orlando, where about 60 nations participated.

The Worlds Competition is the largest international cheerleading and dance team competition, with more than 80 nations as members.

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International Cheer Union World Championship Results

ICU Official Site: Click Here
Results and Video: Click Here
Photo Galleries: Click Here

JAZZ
GOLD Team USA
SILVER Team Japan
BRONZE Team Ukraine

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Chile
Team China
Team Australia
Team South Korea
Team Germany (pictured)
Team Guatemala

HIP HOP
GOLD Team Japan
SILVER Team USA
BRONZE Team China

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Norway
Team Mexico
Team Scotland
Team UK
Team South Korea
Team Germany
Team Australia
Team Guatemala
Team Switzerland
Team Ecuador

FREESTYLE
GOLD Team USA
SILVER Team Japan
BRONZE Team Finland

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Mexico
Team Norway
Team Slovenia
Team China
Team Australia
Team Colombia
Team Germany
Team South Korea
Team UK

DOUBLES JAZZ
GOLD Team Ukraine
SILVER Team China
BRONZE Team Mexico

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Germany

DOUBLES HIP HOP
GOLD Team China
SILVER Team Mexico
BRONZE Team South Korea

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Germany
Team New Zealand
Team Slovenia

DOUBLES FREESTYLE
GOLD Team Ukraine
SILVER Team Mexico
BRONZE Team Switzerland

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team China
Team Russia
Team Germany
Team Slovenia

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Minnesota Dance Team Wins Two Golds At Worlds

The Gophers squad also picked up silver for their hip-hop routine.

BY KYLE POTTER
MNDaily.com

The University of Minnesota Dance Team earned two gold medals and one silver at the International Cheer Union World Championships last Friday.

Competing as Team USA in Orlando, Fla., the Gopher ladies squared off against teams from all over the world and came out on top in two of three categories: jazz and pom. And with a routine thrown together just a few months earlier, they also took silver in the hip-hop category.

After winning gold at nationals in January in both jazz and pom, the team was selected to represent the United States by the International Cheer Union in its second annual international event. ICU has almost 90 member nations from five different continents.

ICU spokeswoman Sheila Noone said teams from 65 nations were in attendance Friday at the championships, which included both cheerleading and dance categories.

Three countries weren’t able to compete because of flight complications caused by Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano ash, Noone said.

Gophers ladies coach Amber Jackson said this competition felt different than others in her 13-year history with the team.

“When we go to nationals, it’s about us and our competition,” Jackson said. “With [this competition], it was about being proud of what we’re doing and how that is impacting the world. It’s something bigger than just us.”

Both Jackson and senior captain Toni Gabrielli said their experiences with one team in particular were unforgettable.

Members of Team Mexico made a doll wearing the dress UMDT wore at nationals. Team Mexico members had watched and were inspired by videos of their jazz routine on YouTube.

When Minnesota performed the same routine at worlds, Team Mexico was in the front row with tears streaming down its members’ faces.

“We didn’t even realize the lives that we’ve touched,” Gabrielli said.

For Gabrielli, this competition was the perfect way to close out her four years on the dance team. And although it was a humbling experience to dance with people from so many different countries, she said she hasn’t wrapped her head around the idea of winning two gold medals just yet.

“It’s just crazy to think that we’re the best in the world at what we do.”

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Saturday, April 24, 2010

Cougarettes' Winning Performance to be Broadcast Nationally

BYU Cougars.com

PROVO, Utah (April 23, 2010) – Cougar fans will have a chance to see the BYU Cougarettes’ winning performance at the National College Dance Team Championships as broadcast plans have been announced. The Championships will air at 4 p.m. MT Saturday on Fox Sports Network Rocky Mountain, which can be found on channel 52 for Comcast subscribers in Utah or on DISH Network channel 414.

The Cougarettes won the national dance title for the eighth time in 13 years in the competition held April 9 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Competing against schools from all over the country at the NDA National Championships, the Cougarettes recorded a score of 9.860, edging out the University of Louisville (9.831) for the 2010 title. The 20-member squad posted the highest score of all three divisions, giving BYU the Grand National Championship as well.

“This means a lot to our program. We didn’t have a chance to compete last year, so coming back this year to win it all is very exciting,” said Cougarette head coach Jodi Maxfield. “We've been working hard since last April, and I believe this was the best routine we've ever performed. I'm so proud of the girls for their hard work, dedication and the way they represented Brigham Young University.”

The BYU Cougarettes are categorized as a precision dance team, but in fact the scope and breadth of their focus is much more varied, including jazz, hip hop and pom. The Cougarettes captured its first National Collegiate Dance Championship in 1997 and has since won titles in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007 and now 2010. In addition, the Cougarettes have finished in the Top 4 three other times.

Considered the elite college dance program in the country, BYU Cougarettes have gone on to perform for the Walt Disney Co., Universal Studios, Opryland, Broadway, professional dance companies, as well as National Basketball Association dancers. The Cougarettes also performed at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

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Duke Dancing Devils Take Fifth at National Competition

Courtesy: Duke Photography
GoDuke.com

DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke Dancing Devils earned a fifth-place finish at the National Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship hosted by the National Dance Alliance on April 8 and 9 in Daytona Beach, Fla. After earning top-ten finishes in each of the last two years, the Dancing Devils took fifth out of 230 teams at the 2010 competition.

The top-five finish also ensures that the Dancing Devils' performance at the competition will appear on national television. The broadcast of this year's National Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship will be aired on April 24 and 25 on Fox Sports Network.

"It was incredibly exciting to have the team climb the ladder so quickly in the last three years," said coach Alayne Rusnak. "To go from eighth to sixth to fifth and know that the team made the cut to be on TV - that seals the deal. You know you've succeeded."

Dance and cheerleading squads from around the country aspire each year to earn a spot at the National Dance Alliance and the National Cheerleaders Association's annual competitions. In order to advance to the final competition in Daytona Beach, squads must pre-qualify by competing at camps or via video submissions. The Dancing Devils qualified for the 2010 Nationals based on their video submission.

After the first day of competition on April 8, the Dancing Devils were in sixth place entering Friday's finals. The team's performance in the finals secured the fifth-place finish - as well as a spot on national television.

"The girls worked so hard, overcame several challenges this year and they couldn't be more excited about their performance at Nationals," Rusnak said. "It was truly rewarding to represent Duke at the NDA Championships after the men's basketball program came off of such a tremendous win the weekend before. We are so proud to be a part of the Duke family and I am so proud of the girls."

The Dancing Devils are the official dance team of Duke University. The squad performs at many Duke athletic events, including football and basketball games. Team members include Bria Barker, Devyn Coskey, Claire Daly, Jamie Forrest, Kat Franklin, Alexa Galan, Julene Latter, Danielle Reinhardt, Michelle Sawyer, Caroline Schwarzman, Amy Snook, Courtney Washington, Jenny Zhou and captains Katherine Booth, Chantel Hopper and Kim Thomas.

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Assumption College Competes in Florida

Le Provocateur

This past week the Assumption College Dance Team traveled to Florida to participate in the Division II dance categories against some of the best teams in the country, including Hawaii Pacific University and Tamagawa University.

The latter university traveled all the way from Japan to compete in this dance competition. After dancing in preliminaries on Thursday, April 7, the Assumption College Dance team was ranked second in the Challenge Cup competition that would occur later that afternoon.

The Challenge Cup determines the last team that will make finals and perform in a different venue the following day. After performing the best the team ever had, they placed 2nd in the Challenge Cup after the University of Minnesota Mankato score a mere .008 higher and was granted a place in the finals.

Although the Assumption College Dance team did not make the finals, they ranked nineth in the nation, the first place team under the eight finalists.

"This is a personal best for the team and we were thrilled with our performances and our ranking overall," stated Marie Torto, the senior captain of the Assumption College Dance team.

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Saint Mary's University: Dancing Their Way to the Top

The Saint Mary's University Dance Team will be representing Canada at the 2010 USASF Dance Worlds this weekend at Disney World.

Seven members of the Saint Mary's University Dance Team are on their way to Disney World to compete in the 2010 Dance Worlds.

The seven members competing in Florida are (left to right): Jasmine Moreash, Nikki Brown, Stephanie Gauvin, Francis Brake, Katelyn Ettinger, Syndell Goode, and Czeri Nocon. (pic: Melissa Tait)

The SMU team, who won the 2010 CheerExpo National Dance Championship for the third year in a row, will represent Canada in the two-day competition which begins on Saturday.

They'll compete in the international open hip-hop division against dozens of other teams from around the world.

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Providence Dance Team Ties for First in New England

By Allison O’Connor ’10/ News Staff
The Cowl

The Providence College Dance Team showed the judges what their dreams were made of at the Universal Dance Association New England Dance Championship at Westfield State College in Westfield, Mass., on April 11.

“This is a regional event for college and high schools throughout New England to come and compete in front of judges,” said Andrea Ricci ’10, coach of the Dance Team.

The team, made of up 18 girls, competed against eight other teams in the College Dance bracket and tied for first place with Marist College. Their first-place routine was choreographed to the song “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics.

“We had originally thought to do a mix of Lady Gaga songs, but we decided to do something different and use a song that a lot of other teams would not choose,” said Devan Lovegreen ’11.

This year marks the first year that the Dance Team has had an official coach. Typically, the captains have been in charge of choreographing and developing routines.

“[The College] was looking for a coach, and I ended up coming back to the school, so I jumped on board,” said Andrea Ricci.

Ricci, who is also assistant director of Alumni Affairs in the Office of Institutional Advancement, was on the Dance Team as an undergraduate student, and was captain of the team her senior year. She also currently works as a dance teacher and previously worked for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) for six years, during which she ran the New England Dance Championship competition.

The girls attribute much of this year’s success to the addition of Ricci as their coach.

“Andrea’s input and leadership really helped us improve and to place well in the competition this year,” said Bridget Landry ’10.
Jen Bencivenga ’11, explained that the team’s motivation can be attributed to Ricci.“We owe all our successes to her,” she said.

Their journey to number one has not been easy, and their success is due to the hard work and dedication that the girls put into the team.

“We spend a lot of time together, as our season runs from September through April, so we consider each other family,” said Bencivenga.

The team performs at all of the men’s basketball games at the Dunkin Donuts Center, some of the women’s basketball games, and at various events on campus.

“Throughout the year, the dancers have really improved,” said Ricci. “We set goals at the beginning of the year to compete regionally and win, and we did.”

The team only began developing their routine for the competition after basketball season ended.

“We practiced three times a week for two and a half hours at a time,” said Lovegreen. “The competition routine had a lot more technical aspects in it than our routines for basketball games, so it was definitely a challenge.”

The routine was two minutes long, making it longer than the routines the team typically performs at the games. Therefore, the girls were forced to build up their endurance for the performance.

“The hardest part about training is the few practices before the competition. Doing even just a two-minute routine over and over again for two hours, full-out and up to speed, is exhausting,” said Landry. “The pay-off is worth it though!”

Getting to the competition was also a challenge, literally.

“While traveling to Westfield College, one of the cars got a flat [tire],” said Bencivenga. “Four of the girls arrived at the competition minutes before we had to perform. They maintained composure and were able to execute the dance perfectly, as they always do!”

The “Sweet Dreams” routine included technical aspects and incorporated tricks done by the entire team.

“We showcased all of [the girls’] talents while trying to create something really visual, so if you were a generic spectator watching, then there would be lots to look at,” said Ricci.

The girls’ dedication and teamwork proved to be a great success.

“There’s a lot of talent in our region… It was incredible to end my four years on the team to come in first place,” said Landry.

To symbolize the girls’ success, they were awarded a trophy that will be on display in theshowcase in Peterson.

“We’ve had a really great year, and [winning] was a good way to end it,” said Ricci.

Aside from their success, the girls are most grateful for the bond they share as a team.

“My favorite part about being on the dance team are the girls that I dance with,” said Landry. “Performing at the Dunk wouldn’t be half as fun without their energy to feed off of, and I’m taking away so many friendships and memories from the dance team that I’ll never forget!”

Seniors Ashley Bryan, Amanda Camerota, Jessica Costa, Bridget Landry, and Meaghan McComiskey will graduate with the memory of their first-place win during their final year at PC.

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TCU Elite Dance Team Finds Success

By Rachel Wilson
TCU Daily Skiff

It's the group's inaugural season, and TCU Elite is already off to a running start.

The team recently won dance awards at two national competitions, said TCU Elite Director Megan McDonald.

In March, the team went to the American Dance and Drill Competition in Denton and placed second, beating the Southern Methodist University team, which has won the past five years, said McDonald, a junior Spanish major.

Earlier this month, the team flew to Daytona, Fla., for the National Dance Alliance Nationals after receiving a bid to attend.

In Daytona, the team didn't score enough points to make it to the final round, but the team danced in the Challenge Cup and won first place, which secured it a spot in the finals, where they finished No. 7 at Daytona, McDonald said.

Mallary McGrath, a senior math major, said dancing in Daytona was a thrill.

"When (we heard) that we made it to finals all we could do was jump up and down screaming," she said, adding that both events were a great achievement for a first-year team. "Performing at finals was a great feeling and probably one of my most memorable college experiences."

McDonald said that usually a team must attend NDA summer camp to receive a bid for Nationals, but TCU Elite made the cut after submitting a video of the group's dances to the organization.

For McDonald, the team's biggest accomplishment is not the awards they have won, but the fact that the members did it on their own.

Members of the student-run team raised the funds for its Florida trip, approximately $1,000 a dancer for 14 dancers, completely on their own.

McGrath said this season with TCU Elite has been a highlight of her college experience.

"I competed with a local dance studio in high school, but being part of a collegiate team has been a whole new experience," she said. "In many ways it seems much more serious, and the competition is much higher."

McDonald came up with the idea after an injury in 2008 sidelined her from her TCU Showgirls rehearsals.

2010-11 Auditions

When: Saturday, August 28

Time and place will be announced later at www.campusrec.tcu.edu.

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Saturday, April 17, 2010

UNR Dance Team Cut, Combined With Cheer

By: Juan Lopez
Photo:Brian Bolton
The Nevada Sagebrush

In yet another budget-saving measure, the Nevada dance team will be cut — but its members will continue to dance.

Holly Aycock, Nevada athletics director of marketing and promotions, said the Wolf Pack’s dance team would be moved into the pom squad as of April 24 (the date of tryouts for the cheerleading team). The dance team ended the year with 13 members while the cheer team had 29 (11 pom girls, eight stunt girls, eight stunt guys and three mascots). Under the change, next year’s cheerleading team will have up to 16 pom girls, up to four mascots, eight stunt girls and eight stunt guys.

Under this move, the Nevada athletics department will save $5,000 (the amount of money allocated to the dance team last year), Aycock said.

The move is intended to gain a bigger audience for both squads.

“We’re not eliminating; we’re just merging,” Aycock said. “A lot of times people will call our office and ask for the cheerleaders to come down to one of their events, but the dance team doesn’t get the same exposure. By joining the two, I think they’ll both benefit and the experience for both will just set a good precedent.”

Aycock, who said she brought up the idea to upper management, said no paid positions or aid toward the dance team’s members would be lost in this move. She said she’s spoken to dance team head coach Nicole Scott and has asked her to stay as a coach on the cheerleading team.

Kim Welker, spirit coordinator and head cheerleading coach, said she was happy with the move and thought the transition into becoming one team would not be too difficult.

“Dance and pom have always been very similar teams,” she said. “Now by combining the two we will have more talent and more opportunities for everyone to perform more and I am very excited for the upcoming year.”

The cheerleading team is excited for the move as well. Samantha Rice, a 19-year-old sophomore who just finished her second year on the cheerleading team, said when the two teams are made into one, they’ll be able to better fulfill their goals: to entertain and boost the University of Nevada, Reno.

“I think that the merging is a great thing,” she said. “I’m not saying we’re the same thing, but we pretty much do the same thing. Our goals are to support the school in whatever way we can. This way, no one else will step on anyone else’s toes and there won’t be two separate entities anymore.”

Juan López can be reached at jlopez@nevadasagebrush.com.

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SI.com Features FIU Golden Dazzlers Michelle and Alexandra

Sports Illustrated (SI.com) has featured twins Michelle and Alexandra from the FIU Golden Dazzlers as the "Cheerleaders of the Week." SI.com features the twins in 33 photos this week. For the full photo gallery Click Here

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Harvard Crimson: Athletes and Aesthetes

Campus dance teams train and compete to sharpen their tools of creative expression

By ALI R. LESKOWITZ, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
The Harvard Crimson
To visit the Harvard Crimson Dance Team page Click Here

There is no “competitive dance” tab on the Harvard University Athletics website home page. Click around a little, though, and you’ll eventually find the Crimson Dance Team (CDT) and the Harvard Ballroom Dance Team (HBDT) listed among the club sports—along with figure skating, capoeira, and Harvard’s own Quidditch team.

Technically a fictional sport—sprung from the pages of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series—Quidditch earns the same designation as the two competitive dance teams, both of which straddle a curious line of their own. Instead of facing Quidditch’s problem of self-identification with the real or the magical, however, tension for the dance teams exists in their classification as either sport or art.

The teams have the best of both worlds: they receive funding from the Department of Athletics, yet practice at venues supported by the Office for the Arts at Harvard. Their craft involves rules, competition, intense training, self-control, and teamwork—like many other sports—while also allowing for self-expression on a more sophisticated level than pure competitive drive. The Crimson Dance Team and Harvard Ballroom Dance Team fuse athletic competition with artistic interpretation, in a unique hybrid of art and sport.

OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT

While dance groups abound at Harvard, only HBDT and CDT focus on competition. Harvard Ballroom began in 1990 to fill a gap in the dance community. “Our mission is to spread the art of ballroom dancing in a social and competitive way,” says Marco F. Perez-Moreno ’11, president of HBDT.

Throughout the year, HBDT team members learn the 19 dances that comprise the four World Dance Council categories of style: International Latin, International Standard, American Rhythm, and American Standard. Dancers work to become proficient in these groupings through training and the two to three annual competitions HBDT attends as a team.

The slightly-newer CDT was founded in 1995 to offer the opportunity for jazz and hip-hop dancers to demonstrate their skills not only in performances but also against other schools. According to CDT co-captain Ashley R. Prince ’11, competition pushes dancers and encourages progress the way performance might not. “In competitive dance, you have the opportunity to really assess your own skill set and techniques, whereas when you put on a show, it’s just fun to perform,” she says. “On CDT, you get to grow and see concrete improvement.”

CDT competes at the Universal Dance Association College Dance Team National Championships in Orlando, Florida, in addition to performing at men’s and women’s basketball games and exhibition shows. Their choreography mostly focuses on jazz and hip-hop, but they performed pom—a style of dancing similar to cheerleading—when they competed at the National Dance Alliance Championships in years past. Despite their practice of pom, CDT members insist that their craft differs from cheerleading in method.

“In cheerleading the technique is tight with the motions, which is where we overlap the most,” says Mary Caroline Szpak ’11, Prince’s CDT co-captain. “We both generate spirit, but it’s on different terms. Cheerleading is more classified as a sport, but with dance it’s more like a sport and an art.”

The two groups share a desire for competition and also a basic language: ballet. “You can’t walk until you crawl, and you can’t dance until you learn ballet. It’s the foundation of everything,” Szpak says. “The connection between ballet and dance team is like with the alphabet: once you have the letters down, you can make any word.” This dance alphabet leads to the diverse styles CDT performs, and just as with a spoken language, it’s easier to make the sounds if you’ve been exposed early. As a result, the team encourages its dancers to take ballet classes if possible.

Ballroom, too, depends on ballet for its foundation—but the former diverges from the latter in one critical way: the relationship to the floor. Ballet dancers stay lifted up off the floor, making minimal contact with it and absorbing any impact into the muscles so the moves remain graceful and quiet. Ballroom dancers strive for the exact opposite: they push their weight down into their muscles and make contact with the floor. Still, both depend on graceful elevated arms for the entirety of the dance, which means strong shoulder muscles are essential.

ONE STEP AHEAD

Once the foundation is laid, the teams undergo a process akin to a visual artist picking and priming his tools as they prepare for competition. CDT first chooses a choreographer based on an intense selection process. “It involves watching more YouTube than you can imagine,” Prince says. The captains then suggest music and a theme to the choreographer, who comes back to the team with a set two-minute routine. Even so, the members sometimes tweak the piece to fit their vision and showcase their dancers’ strengths. A winning routine is often a trade-off between performing advanced moves and fitting the team’s skill level.

Rehearsals of the piece span around two months, after which the dancers focus on cleaning and editing the routine so that everyone has the exact same timing and precise movements. Intense daily practices lead up to Nationals, which—according to the captains—are similar in atmosphere to the competitions portrayed in the 2000 film “Bring It On.”

HBDT’s training comes in mastering the “syllabus,” which supplies a framework for dancers to move up the ranks as they satisfy bronze, silver, and gold level “figures,” or skill levels. Three professional coaches teach dancers at the syllabus stages until they become proficient enough to dance at a more independent “open level.” These coaches typically create the syllabus-level routines, but some partners choose to choreograph themselves with moves that fit their stages.

Since ballroom competitions can have up to 20 couples on the floor at one time, the syllabus ensures a safe environment. “If you have people who are lifting their partners, it could get dangerous very fast,” says Madison J. Shelton ’11, the HBDT competitions chair. The first HBDT rehearsals of any given year involve around 200 members on a small floor, so tricky moves like lifts are not only prohibited, but impossible.

HBDT’s rehearsals culminate in the Harvard Invitational, an annual competition between as many as 50 schools at which the team showcases their talents. The competition lasts two full days, during which the four styles at all three levels are performed. Professional judges wander the dance floor looking at each couple for a short amount of time; each round, they cut half of the couples until finally selecting the highest scorers.

Hard work pays off for the teams. CDT has placed around fifth or sixth in their division in recent years. They also stand alone as an Ivy League school at their contests. “People always think we’re joking when we say we’re from Harvard,” Prince says. “We get a lot of attention.”

HBDT also consistently performs at the top of their competitions, especially against their rivals at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Members claim the rivalry is friendly—the two teams often share dancers because of various gender and number discrepancies between the schools—but they proudly report that they either beat or tied MIT in most of the finals at the 19th Annual Harvard Invitational at the end of March.

CHOREO AND CARDIO

These competitions require intense athletic training and teamwork. Like other fusion sports such as fencing and figure skating, competitive dancing requires intense physical fitness. The Department of Athletics recognizes the physical aspects of competitive dance, providing both teams with funding as club sports. “We review the groups’ specific goals and objectives and then work with them to accomplish these over the course of the year,” says Gary Brown, the Department’s Manager of Recreational Services.

Competitive dancers are certainly athletes, whether or not their competition of choice is seen as a sport. The stamina, flexibility, and energy dance demands necessitate frequent cardiovascular training and exercise. CDT usually practices four days a week for around two hours. Perez-Moreno runs regularly and Shelton does total body conditioning in addition to dance training. The brevity of routines—as opposed to football or basketball games, which can last hours—might seem to entail less need for endurance, but the dancers would strongly disagree. “When you get off a stage after a two-minute routine and you’re just panting—that’s the moment you know it’s a sport,” Szpak says.

Teamwork—an element generally absent in most art forms—also becomes essential. CDT members must perform in sync—“like the Rockettes,” Szpak says—while HBDT dancers work with partners. These pairings are chosen based on physical compatibility (a taller male partner facilitates certain moves) and motivation. Dancers who push themselves differently or set imbalanced goals eventually clash and split up. “In ballroom you rely a ton on your partner, especially as a woman, since you follow: he decides what you do next,” Shelton says. “You have to be very aware of another person.”

In the same way, Szpak compares CDT to a track team: “Everybody is dancing on their own, but it only succeeds if they all move together—so in that way, it’s more cohesive than a sport. If someone in front of you moves, you have to move even if they’re wrong. It really is like we’re on a playing field together, working as a team,” she says.

MAKING A POINTE

Such rigorous athletic training makes creative expression possible. “We’re classically training our muscles but we’re also expressing ourselves through dance,” Prince says. However, a routine won’t rise to its greatest form unless dancers have the stamina, flexibility, and poise that training provides. “You need to do a nice line with your arm, and to be competent at expressing that, you need to be physically able,” Perez-Moreno contends.

Dance teams are judged on various, partly subjective, criteria: technique, difficulty, passion, creativity, style, ability to communicate emotion, clarity, control, synchronization, and musicality—all of which highlight the hybrid aspects of the art. In ballroom, there are four principal aspects: musicality, beauty and technique, partnering, and speed and power. Musicality—or a dancer’s capacity to interpret the music through motions that fit the mood and rhythm—shifts these competitive dances from a sport to an art form. A competitive dancer should not just be robotically performing moves; there needs to be emotion behind every figure.

This is especially true for the lyrical style that CDT practices. A combination of ballet, jazz, and modern dance, lyrical style movements speak directly to the words and tone of a song using gestures and facial expressions. “If in the song the lyrics say that something is far away, then you extend your arm out to indicate that,” Szpak explains.

Nevertheless, both teams admit that show dancing—rather than competition—is where their work truly becomes an art. Almost theatrical in nature, non-competitive performances require the dancers to tell stories using their bodies as media. Performers can communicate a storyline even before the dancing begins through costuming.

Dance teams are even judged on how well costumes convey the theme and mood of the piece. CDT wore glittered black and purple outfits reminiscent of the night sky for their “Midnight” piece two years ago. This year’s vibrant red costumes were cut dramatically to suggest the fury of a woman incensed by her ex-lover, as the song dictated.

A woman’s costume in ballroom must catch the judge’s eye to bring attention to the couple, so attire is typically shiny and vibrantly colored—and, particularly in Latin dances, revealing. Dancers also need to be extremely tan, both to draw attention and look appealing under bright lights. “You need to put forward confidence; there’s a certain beauty in it,” Shelton explains. Every ballroom style has its own character that requires performers to act to the music, so costumes help dancers fit the parts. “You play a role of elegance and high class for Standard and a role of sex appeal for Latin,” Perez-Moreno says. These extravagant costumes require dancers to spend exorbitant sums of money to stay on top of their appearances—which often deters less-serious performers.

STRIKING A BALANCE

While these competitions might seem obscure to outsiders, the dancers insist on the mass appeal of their sport—as evidenced by popular entertainment such as “Dancing with the Stars” and the 2005 documentary film “Mad Hot Ballroom.” A fusion of physical skill and artistic beauty, competitive dance attracts those who want athletic challenge, creative expression, or a little of each. “As athletes, we’re constantly training and pushing our bodies to be better,” Szpak says. “As artists, we’re always looking for inspiration from outside sources and different ways to express ourselves.”

While show dancing seemingly provides more of an opportunity for self-expression, competing helps dancers build the skills necessary for collaborative creative communication. “When you dance by yourself, if your hip’s in a different direction than it should be, it doesn’t necessarily matter,” Szpak says. “It’s hard to get used to, but competitive dance forces you to realize, ‘If my triple isn’t perfect, the team will suffer.’ You’re not dancing for yourself anymore—it’s like a team sport, but one that makes a beautiful and expressive product.”

—Staff writer Ali R. Leskowitz can be reached at aleskow@fas.harvard.edu.

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Towson Dance Team First At Nationals

By Alissa Katz
Dance Team file photo by Casey Prather / The Towerlight
Towerlight Online

The Towson Dance Team took their 12th consecutive national title with precision dances, which are a combination of hip-hop, jazz, funk and pom routines.

The Towson University Dance Team typically performs throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region and at Towson University sporting events and numerous community events. However, they went to Daytona Beach, Fl. this past week to compete against other universities for a shot at the national title.

Almost 5,000 student athletes and 15,000 spectators convened to see the competition. The National Cheerleading Association and National Dance Alliance Collegiate Championship is the largest college cheer and dance competition in the world, according to a press release from TU.

They Division I competitors from Harvard University, James Madison University, Columbia University and Boston University, among others.

Thomas Cascella, professor in the department of theatre arts coached the team of 27 members.

“We’re extremely excited and proud to represent Towson University once again at the national championships. The team spirit and cooperation of this group of young women makes them champions. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of our team,” Cascella said in the release.

Senior communication studies major Amanda Cieri is one of the dance team’s officers.

“We were all really excited that we won,” she said. “We go down hoping we do our best. It’s not about winning for us; it’s about going on the floor proving to everybody that we did our best. This year, we really came off really happy with what we did ... We’re all so dedicated to this performance.”

Their winning piece was described as a hyper-paced bump- and-grind precision dance, according to the release.

This helped set them above their competitors.

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Lionettes Take Third At Nationals

By Jocelyn Syrstad
Collegian Online

JoAnn Esposito had goosebumps as she sat poolside in Daytona, Fla., Saturday.

The weather was gorgeous, but the sensation would come every time the senior co-captain on the Lionettes Dance Team thought of her team's performance at the National Dance Alliance (NDA) championship over the weekend.

The Lionettes finished in third place, the team's best finish ever, behind only Brigham Young and Louisville, which are the two teams that have dominated the championships for nearly 20 years.

"There are no words to describe how I am feeling right now," Esposito said. "When they announced fourth place, and it wasn't us, we just hit our knees and collapsed on the floor. It's just amazing."

The competition consists of a preliminary and final round and showcases teams from all over the country. Esposito said the preliminary round was the best performance the team has ever done, which propelled them into finals.

However, senior co-captain Erin Zoch said the Lionettes were nervous after their final performance because the dancers were so exhausted from performing two days in a row. But the end result was more than they could have asked for, and they forgot about how sore and tired they were, she said.

"We pushed ourselves to the limit, and we are just so proud we pushed ourselves the way we did," Zoch said. "We left everything out on the floor. It's just unreal."

Finishing behind both BYU and Louisville was like a first place finish for the team, Esposito said. Since the two teams have such a legacies in NDA, it is unheard of to beat them. The Cougarettes Dance Team of BYU has won eight NDA titles and finished in the top-4 three other times since 1997.

However, after the preliminary competition, a dancer from BYU came up to the Lionettes and told them the BYU parents told their daughters to watch out for Penn State because the Lionettes were a threat this year.

"We just can't believe this moment has actually come," senior co-captain Alexandra Costello said. "People are scared of us, and we are actually up there with the best. We've accomplished our goals."

The Lionettes finished fourth at last year's championships and had a goal of finishing in the top-3 this year. However, the team faces many challenges because of not having a coach and having to rely on themselves to see success -- something that is rare in collegiate dance.

The senior members of the team expressed how fortunate the team is to have grown and developed into a top-notch team, and they're confident the Lionettes will continue to break barriers in years to come.

"It's just amazing, and it makes us realize nothing can stop us," Esposito said. "I just want the girls to keep pushing. We've achieved all of our goals and now we know that anything is possible."

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SHSU Wins Championships In Two Spirit Programs

KBTX.com

Sam Houston State University took away top honors in the National Cheerleaders Association/National Dance Association Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship held at Daytona Beach, Fla. April 7-11.

The Orange Pride Dance Team and Sammy the Bearkat won the 2010 national championship in each of their categories. The teams are formally associated with SHSU’s Department of Student Activities’ Spirit Programs.

“We are so proud of the Orange Pride Dance Team, Sammy the Bearkat and the mascot program,” said Brandon Cooper, assistant director of student activities at Sam Houston State.

“They continually work hard to improve the standards of the teams they are involved with, and it has paid off. This is such an amazing accomplishment for them as students and for the university as a whole,” he said.

The Sam Houston State University Orange Pride Dance Team won the 2010 National Dance Alliance (NDA) Collegiate National Championship in Open Division 1 Friday afternoon (April 9).

Sam Houston State’s dance team was the top seed going into the competition, winning the division competition over Weber State, Illinois State, University of Texas at Arlington, Georgia Southern, Kennesaw University and others.

The team consists of 16 members and is coached by senior health major and former dance team captain Sarah Knigge of Killeen.
On the following day (Saturday, April 10) SHSU’s Sammy the Bearkat won the Mascot Nationals, also in Daytona, in a competition featuring mascots from 10 schools.

Criminal justice major Jarrod Leftwich, of Linden, is the life behind Sammy’s character.

He won over four other mascots including second place winner Sharky from Hawaii Pacific University and third place winner Mr. Wuf from North Carolina State University. Also placing were the mascots from Western Kentucky University and Cal State-Long Beach.

Leftwich was selected to compete with the other mascots from his preliminary video entry. At the competition, he was required to perform a 90-second skit, which was judged on a variety of factors including creativity, props and usage of the props, characterization and crowd response.

Almost 5,000 student athletes and 15,000 spectators convened for the Daytona Beach competition. The NCA/NDA Collegiate Championship is the largest College Cheer and Dance Championship in the world.

The competitions will be aired on Fox Sports Network on April 24-26.

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HPU Squad Is Best

Honolulu Advertiser

Hawai'i Pacific University's large co-ed cheer team won its eighth consecutive title at the National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Alliance Championships yesterday at Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Sea Warriors' dance team won its fifth consecutive title, and also won the Hip Hop category.

The HPU all-girl cheer team and small co-ed cheer team placed third.

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Saturday, April 10, 2010

Towson Dance Team Does It Again

By Scott Wykoff
WBAL.com
(Photo from Varsity.com)

The Towson University Dance Team won the 2010 National Dance Alliance (NDA) Collegiate National Championship in Daytona Beach, Fl.

It's their twelfth consecutive national championship,

The competition took place at Florida's Peabody Auditorium and at the Dayton Beach Band shell.

Tom Casella, dance team coach says "we're extremely excited and proud to represent Towson University once again at the national Championships. The team spirit and cooperation of this group of young women makes them champions. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of our team."

The hyper-paced bump and grind precision dance s are a combination of hip-hop, jazz, funk and pom routines. The Towson University Dance Team was the top seed going into the competition, winning the Division I competition beating Harvard, James Madison, Columbia University, Boston University and more.

Almost 5,000 student athletes and 15,000 supporters and spectators convened for the competition of technical skills, breathtaking choreography, crowd pleasing showmanship, synchronization and teamwork. The 2010 NCA/NDA Collegiate Championship is the largest College Cheer and Dance Championship in the world.

The Towson University Dance Team performs throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region and at Towson University Athletic Department competitions and numerous community events. The team consists of 27 members and is coached by Towson University professor of Theatre Arts Tom Cascella.

The National Cheerleading Association (NCA) and the National Dance Alliance (NDA) Collegiate National Championship is the largest collegiate cheerleading and dance competition in the world attracting more than 5,000 cheerleaders, dancers, mascots and spectators annually. NCA/NDA, the largest privately held cheerleading and dance organization in the world hold events for over 180,000 cheerleaders and dancers around the world.

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MCC Dance Team Wins National Title

The MCC Dance company has won its second straight national championship. (2009 NDA Pic Below)
KWTX.com

DAYTONA BEACH (April 9, 2010)--The McLennan Dance Company scored 9.269 in today's final round to win its second consecutive NDA Collegiate Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Oklahoma City University finished second with 9.083, followed by Ramapo College of Mahwah, N.J., in third with 9.071.

Other scores: Blinn College, fourth, 8.781; New York University, fifth, 8.533; Barton Community College (Great Bend, Kan.), sixth, 7.952; and Eastern Connecticut State University, seventh, 7.865.

For the official McLennan CC site Click Here

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UALR Dance Team Tryouts Set for April 22

UALRTrojans.com

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—The UALR Dance Team will be holding tryout for the 2010-11 squad on Thursday, April 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the UALR Theatre and Dance building. The UALR Dance Team performs at all home men’s and women’s basketball games as well as some away games during post-season.

Tryouts will consist of floor work, across the floor exercises, and a jazz, hip hop, and pom routine. Dancers will be judged on image, skills, memory, and dance performance.

Skills that the judges will be looking for:
· Single, Double, and Triple Pirouettes
· Fouette Turns
· A La Second Turns
· Illusions
· Straight Leg Leaps
· Open Side Leaps
· Switch Leaps
· “C” Jump

Dancers are recommended to wear dance shorts, nude tights, and a sports bra to auditions. Black ankle jazz shoes will be required throughout the season.

Scholarships will be offered to dancers who make the 2010-11 squad.

For more information about tryouts, please contact Andrea Nunez at (501) 569-3393 or at alduc@ualr.edu.

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Cougarettes Capture National College Dance Team Championship

BYUCougars.com

Daytona Beach, Fla. (April 9, 2010) — For the eighth time in the past 13 years, the Brigham Young University Cougarettes are the National College Dance Team Champions.

Competing against schools from all over the country at the NDA National Championships, the Cougarettes recorded a score of 9.860, edging out the University of Louisville (9.831) for the 2010 title. The 20-member squad posted the highest score of all three divisions, giving BYU the Grand National Championship as well.

“This means a lot to our program. We didn’t have a chance to compete last year, so coming back this year to win it all is very exciting,” said Cougarette head coach Jodi Maxfield. “We've been working hard since last April, and I believe this was the best routine we've ever performed. I'm so proud of the girls for their hard work, dedication and the way they represented Brigham Young University.”

The BYU Cougarettes are categorized as a precision dance team, but in fact the scope and breadth of their focus is much more varied, including jazz, hip hop and pom. The Cougarettes captured its first National Collegiate Dance Championship in 1997 and has since won titles in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007 and now 2010. In addition, the Cougarettes have finished in the Top 4 three other times.

“Winning first place this year was the biggest thrill,” said senior Cougarette president Eliza Diederich. “We have an amazing team. We knew what we needed to do and brought it full force. Our theme this year was to believe and with that faith and burning desire anything is possible.”

Considered the elite college dance program in the country, BYU Cougarettes have gone on to perform for the Walt Disney Co., Universal Studios, Opryland, Broadway, professional dance companies, as well as National Basketball Association dancers. The Cougarettes also performed at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

"This experience has been so rewarding," said senior Jaymn Swenson who was Cougarette president last year. "The hard work paid off for us this year."

NDA National Championship Top 10
Brigham Young University (9.860)
University of Louisville (9.831)
Penn State (9.406)
South Carolina (9.406)
Duke (9.269)
Purdue University (9.233)
Virginia Tech (9.100)
Iowa State (9.073)
North Carolina State (8.985)
Texas Tech (8.948)

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Towson Dance Team Tops In NDA

TU Dance Team captures 12th consecutive crown
ExlporeBaltimoreCounty.com

The Towson University Dance Team won the 2010 National Dance Alliance (NDA) Collegiate National Championship — the team's 12th consecutive national championship — this week in Daytona Beach, Fla., according to university officials.

According to a release from the school, the TU Dance Team was the top seed going into the competition, winning the Division I competition beating Harvard, James Madison, Columbia University, Boston University and others.

The team consists of 27 members and is coached by Towson University professor of Theatre Arts Tom Cascella. The team is formally associated with TU's Department of Theatre Arts.

"We’re extremely excited and proud to represent Towson University once again at the national championships," said Casella.

"The team spirit and cooperation of this group of young women makes them champions," he said. "I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of our team.”

The Tiger's precision dances are a combination of hip-hop, jazz, funk and pom routines. The Towson University Dance Team performs throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region and at Towson University Athletic Department competitions and numerous community events.

Almost 5,000 student athletes and 15,000 spectators convened for the Daytona Beach competition. The NCA/NDA Collegiate Championship is the largest College Cheer and Dance Championship in the world.

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Sunday, April 04, 2010

Penn State Lionettes To Attend Nationals

By Jessica Wabara
Collegian Online

Friends and families of the Lionettes filled the stands of the White Building's gym Sunday afternoon to show their support for the dance team before they leave for a national competition.

The dancers will depart April 6 for Daytona Beach, Fla., to compete in the National Dance Alliance Collegiate Competition. The Lionettes will compete in the preliminary rounds April 8, and if they rank high enough, they'll proceed to the final round on April 9.

Last year, the girls placed fourth at the competition.

"I think the Lionettes are an awesome dance team," audience member Rene Garcia (sophomore-forensic science) said. "They put a lot of work into their dance routines, and they deserve to win."

Dressed in black-and-violet outfits covered in glitter, the girls entertained the crowd with jumps, twirls and flips in an energy-filled routine.

Kneeling down and cheering on the dancers was the Lionettes' national captain, Nicole Bautz (senior-crime, law and justice).

While the girls prepare for national competition, Bautz is in charge of costumes, make-up and making sure the performance is ready for competition.

"It's been a long, bumpy ride, so I'm excited to see it on the dance floor in Florida," Bautz said.

After their performance, the team captains, Alexandra Costello (senior-health policy and administration), Erin Zoch (senior-kinesiology) and JoAnn Esposito (senior-finance), told the crowd that they appreciated its love and support.

Sue Sherburne, the team's adviser for 12 years, ended the event by promising the audience that the team will rank at least fifth.

Unlike the other teams at the competition, the Lionettes will be the only team without a coach. Zoch explained that because the team has no coach, each of the girls has to push herself and her teammates.

"We like to look at what we have," Sherburne said, "rather than what we don't have."

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