Miami University Dance Team Ranks 4th in National Video Competition
2/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Dance
Feb. 13, 2007
Oxford, Ohio - On December 2nd, The Miami University Dance Team ranked 4th among Division 1A dance teams in the country in the National Dance Alliance (NDA) video competition. The 4th place ranking earned the team a paid bid to the NDA National Championship held in April in Daytona Beach, FL. The team is proud to have reached its highest accomplishment to date.
In August 2006, the team qualified to compete at the NDA National Competition while attending NDA summer camp in Louisville, KY. Miami placed first in a camp competition, beating out powerhouse schools including Ohio State University and Purdue University.
The video submission took place in December, when Miami and other collegiate dance teams planning to attend this year's championship submitted a qualifying video to NDA. The video consisted of three thirty-second routines in Jazz, Pom, and Hip-hop dance styles. Teams were judged on strength in each style. A fourth section of the video demonstrated the squad's technical ability, featuring advanced turn combinations, leaps, and jumps. The three routines Miami submitted were all choreographed by former assistant coach Stephanie Rogers. "I feel the strongest portion of the video was the technique section where individual strengths were showcased" Rogers said. Filming took place during men's and women's home basketball games in November.
Miami's 4th place ranking in Division 1A earned the team a paid bid to Nationals, which will take place April 4-8 in Daytona Beach, FL. This year, paid bids were only awarded to the top five teams in Division 1A and cover everything except airfare. "This paid bid certainly has provided some relief. We have been working hard all year to raise money for this trip to Daytona" said Eloiza Domingo-Snyder, the team's head coach. Although the Dance Team receives funding from Miami Athletics, Nationals expenses must be raised by the team. Since last spring, the team has been raising money by soliciting sponsors, selling programs at football games, and selling team posters. With less fund-raising to do, the team can now focus on preparing for nationals. Miami will continue with rigorous dance training and conditioning at least five days per week in addition to strength training at the Gross Center twice per week. In January, the team will begin working on the Nationals routine with choreographer, Shannon Judge.
This is Miami's third year competing in the NDA video competition. In its first year competing, the team received a 5th place ranking. Last year, the team fell out of the top five to 7th place in the video competition. The team is excited to have placed better than ever and looks forward to defending its top five placement at the National competition in April.
About the Miami Dance Team
The Miami Dance Team is the official performance and competition team of Miami Athletics. The team performs at all home basketball games, various campus events, and competes nationally at the National Dance Alliance Collegiate Dance Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida, each spring. The team is technically based and specializes in styles of jazz, pom, and hip-hop. For more information about the team, including auditions, visit MUredhawks.com under "Athletic Department."
For more information about the NDA Collegiate National Championship, visit Nationalspirit.com