The University of Minnesota dance team had an extremely successful 2016-2017 season. This college dance team is considered one of the best in the nation, despite having trailed behind the University of Tennessee’s dance team for the past several years and suffering poor rankings in the hip-hop category. But the University of Minnesota dance team recaptured its former glory time and time again in 2017. First, the college dance team managed to snag the first double title ever at the UDA nationals in Orlando in January. The University of Minnesota dance team won first place in both the jazz and pom categories. This was the first year the competition offered the pom category, and the University of Minnesota dance team took advantage of the opportunity to compete in a category other than hip-hop, where the college dance team has struggled greatly in past years.
A double title at nationals is already quite impressive, but now the University of Minnesota dance team has a second double title, and this one is international! Following its unprecedented success at UDA Nationals in Orlando, University of Minnesota dance team was chosen as Team USA for an international dance and cheer competition. So, the college dance team returned to Orlando in April and attended the International Cheer Union Worlds Competition. This competition was attended by dance teams and cheer teams from all over the planet, including teams from Mexico, Jamaica, Ukraine, China, Germany, Thailand, Finland, Poland, Switzerland, Slovenia and Australia, among many others.
The University of Minnesota dance team took the gold medal in the pom and jazz dance categories, and a silver medal in hip-hop. Although the gold medals are impressive, from a dancer’s perspective the silver is possibly even more impressive? Why? First, because the University of Minnesota dance team is definitely not a hip-hop team. Not to say that this college dance team is bad at hip-hop, but it tends to do poorly in this category as compared to jazz and pom. Second, because the University of Minnesota dance team put together this dance very recently. The jazz and pom dances were old hat-the same dances they won nationals with. But for the international championship, the team had to put together and perfect a completely new hip-hop dance, in the midst of trying to maintain the standard of the jazz and pom dances. The University of Minnesota dance team gave it their all in every category and that was clear in their beautiful performances.
The 2016-2017 was certainly a successful one for the University of Minnesota dance team. Coming from what many consider a dance team dynasty, this college dance team surely will see continued success this year.
