2008 Woodie Awards
Miami dance team to compete in national competition this April
Sterling Berry
Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Campus
|
Miami's nationally ranked dance team has qualified to compete in the National Dance Alliance (NDA) competition in Daytona Beach, Florida, April 9-13.
This will be the dance team's fourth trip to nationals, after they received a full paid bid at the NDA dance camp in Louisville, Ky. last August.
The dance team is currently ranked fifth in the nation, after competing in the NDA for only four years.
According to co-captain Shoko Yoshitake, the team has made a name for itself in the past few years, placing amongst powerhouse teams from the University of Louisville, Brigham Young University, Rutgers University, the Ohio State University and Purdue University.
At the NDA camp last August, Miami's Dance Team was ranked third in the team dance competition, as well as being named 'best all around dance team' and 'most collegiate squad.'
The 12 women of the dance team usually practice for three to four hours per night and five to seven days a week during the regular season-all in order to perfect a two minute, 15 second routine.
Co-captain Rachael Gilpin said the routine is a mixture of pom, hip-hop and jazz dance, and is set to some well-known songs such as "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, "New Sensation" by INXS and "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King.
According to Gilpin, each practice is filmed so that each woman can watch herself after a full run-through of the routine. This helps the team achieve uniformity, Gilpin said.
After losing five seniors last year, the dance team is young, with four freshmen and three sophomores making up more than half the team. Although this can be an obstacle for many teams, Gilpin said that they have looked at the situation as a chance for a fresh start and an opportunity to be better
than ever.
"This team started out with very young, new members, so there was concern that we would struggle with cohesion," said head coach Eloiza Domingo-Snyder. "But through hard work, dedication and belief in one another, this team has come together and dances as a team, instead of as 12 different people."
Yoshitake agreed.
"Having only competed for four years, we've already created a presence in NDA," Yoshitake said. "Miami truly is the Cinderella team in the dance world. We get one chance to showcase our talent, diligence and passion for dance. That two minutes and nine seconds on that floor represents every ounce of sweat and every minute of practice we put into this team."
The team has grown closer outside of the context of practice, as well.
"We spend more time with each other than we do with classmates, roommates, boyfriends or sorority sisters," said Gilpin. "It's sometimes very stressful try to juggle class work, a social life and dance, but at the end of the season not one member has ever said it wasn't worth it."
In Daytona, the team will compete in the preliminary competition April 10. Half of the teams will then move onto the finals April 11. Finals will take place outside on Daytona Beach.
Be the first to comment on this story