Dance Team Competes at Nationals

Feb. 6, 2006

In a season that started with a dramatic audition in October and evolved into three practice sessions a week, along with a once a week Captains' practice prior to national competition, The Endicott College Dance Team is proud to say we competed well in the open division at the UCA/UDA National Competition on Saturday, January 15th. The Universal Dance Association semifinals were held at Walt Disney World in Orlando and will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2 starting sometime in March.

College dance teams compete in one of three divisions, based on the schools' NCAA classification. Endicott College was competing against 26 teams in the open division. Teams enter the competition pre-ranked from a videotaped routine submitted to the national office in early November. At the competition, the Team members felt good about their performances. "I think that it is a great honor to qualify and to perform down in Florida with such a high caliber of dancers from all over the country," says junior Melanie Bousquet. This is the first year The Endicott College Dance Team performed two routines; one in the `dance' category and one in the `hip-hop' category. Hip-hop was added to the national championships in 2004 and is growing each year.

Taking the stage during the competition, the girls were anxious and ready to show one and all that they were a better team than last year, and that their technique and team work were comparable to other teams. Both routines were executed gorgeously, with big smiles and perfectly pointed toes and fantastic leaps and emotion. They truly worked to the best of their potential and they looked beautiful. With more preparation and practice than last year and the experience of previous Nationals Competition, we are confident of continued success in our future! The Team is already brainstorming ideas for next year. With only three seniors on this year's squad, they will come back with another strong team.

Captains for this year's team are seniors Lauren Herman and Cory Barthelemy. Other team members are senior Karrie Comeau; juniors Nikki DiNardo, Melanie Bousquet, Toni-Ann Ruocco; sophomores Katie Flynn, Danielle LaRose, Christa Covino, Nicquelle Desilets, Kristin Stefanik; and freshmen Tara Early, Lauren Baran, and Rena Zerbini. In addition to the team's dedication and hard work, credit to Endicott College's success also goes to President Dr. Wylie and Assistant to the Post Center, Amy Wilichoski for all their support. The Endicott College Dance Team's hard work and dedication have paid off tremendously throughout the season. Rawlins quotes, "The girls are such an inspiration in my life. I look forward to the rest of the season and to next year." The girls are just remarkable; their devotion to the team, their spirit, and their talent.