Dance Team Qualifies for Nationals for First Time

The Northern Michigan University Dance Team qualified to compete in the National Dance Alliance (NDA) college nationals for the first time in history. Team members traveled to Daytona Beach, Fla, earlier this month. They competed in two Division II categories: pom, placing 8th in the nation; and jazz, placing 11th.

"It feels like such a surreal experience to be making history for the NMU Dance Team," said Rose Goltz, NMU Dance Team President. "It shows that all of the hard work that we all have been putting into the sport/art is not going to waste and that we are really working toward something."

In the DII category at nationals, the team performed a pom routine to a mix of songs called "I Like To Move It," and a jazz routine called "Don't Blame Me."

A pom routine utilizes pompons and involves quicker, sharp movements. A jazz routine ranges from smoother lyrical-like dancing to straight jazz. The dance team's routine was contemporary jazz.

"This was a valuable opportunity for the team to compete against other teams in the same division as us, and to get to see what other teams are doing so that we can improve in the future," said Goltz.

Members hope this experience will positively impact the Dance Team moving forward. They now will work to secure another trip to nationals and ideally place higher in their events.

The NMU Dance Team announced its historical achievement at a Nationals Send-Off event on Tuesday, April 2, in Jamrich. The event was a special version of the invitational Dance Showcase that the NMU Dance Team organizes for dancers at local studios each semester.

"Most of the dancers who perform range from preschool through college age," said adviser Mark Shevy. "The Michigan Tech Dance team usually travels to participate, too. The NMU Dance Team puts in a lot of work to give the local dancers an event for which they can practice and perform in front of a large audience of family and friends. It's a wonderful service to our community. Typically, the crowd fills a full side of the bleachers in Vandament Arena. A professional sound system is brought in, and the Dance Team provides a workshop for kids prior to the event. This year, the event was held in Jamrich due to renovation work in Vandament Arena."

The NMU Dance Team Showcase and Nationals Send-Off also served as fundraisers for the team.