By Caelan Coffey and Tevai De Mello
After their debut in 2022, the UC Santa Barbara Dance Team returned to the ESPN World Wide Center in Orlando, Florida last month to compete for a national title at the Universal Dance Association’s national competition, taking home a bronze medal. As the only self-coached team at the competition, the UCSB Dance Team members had to rely on one another, including the five UCSB Dance Program students on the team, to get through the strenuous four-month season.
UCSB’s Dance Team, which includes those majoring in Dance, performed its jazz routine at UDA Nationals, held in January in Florida. The team won the bronze medal.
Every year, the UDA puts on its Collegiate Nationals championship that hosts thousands of dancers from over 200 universities and 44 different states. This year, after competing two original routines against many reputable teams, the UCSB Dance Team placed third in Division 1 Jazz and fourth in Division 1 Pom, a style of dance derived from jazz and hip-hop that focuses on precise arm movements while holding poms.
With a quarter of the team’s 20 members coming from UCSB’s Dance Program, it was crucial for these five students to apply their experience and knowledge from the classroom to prepare the team for the big stage. “The training that we get being dance majors is the foundation of making our performances the best we can since we don’t have a coach,” said Skylar Yeung, a third-year dance student on the team. “Without our dance major classes we would not be as technically advanced as we are today.”
With the odds already against them, the UCSB dance team was struck with a last-minute injury, leaving members with no other option but to re-stage their routines the night before the competition. Fortunately, their teamwork and contributions from the dance majors helped keep them afloat. It was no easy task. “But it was worth every long practice and grinding class,” said Yeung.
Please click on the video below to view UCSB Dance students and Dance Team Head Captain Tevai De Mello talk about the team’s big win in January.
Caelan Coffey is a third-year Psychological and Brain Sciences major at UCSB. Tevai De Mello is a fourth-year Psychological and Brain Sciences major at UCSB. They wrote this article for their Digital Journalism class.