Dance team sees national stage
The University of Indianapolis Dance Team, the Crimsonettes, attended the National Dance Association (NDA) Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship April 8-9 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The team placed fifth in the Challenge Cup and ninth in the hip-hop competition.
To qualify for national competition, the team learned a dance routine at their NDA summer camp in Myrtle Beach and based on their performance earned a bid to nationals.
The team set to work this school year to raise enough money to attend the national competition. They held bake sales, t-shirt sales and various other fundraisers.
“We knew going in that it was going to be an expensive endeavor, and the fundraisers seemed to be endless; it was all worthwhile when we got to Daytona,” said sophomore Candi Witzigrueter.
To compete, the Crimsonettes had to pom, jazz, hip-hop routine to a remix of the Alicia Keys song “Fallen.” They also performed a hip-hop routine to a mix that included various hip-hop artists.
Members of the team who attended this national competition included: Jori Weber, Madalynne Wills, Hannah Watkins, Candi Witzigrueter, Kiersten Baltus, Sarah Stierwalt, Brianne Gargas and Carrie Caldwell.
There was one preliminary round of competition in which the Crimsonettes performed their Alicia Keys routine, then they participated in the Challenge Cup again using the Alicia Keys routine. Also, they competed with their hip-hop routine in the final round.
“It was a good experience for our entire team, because we know what to expect and what to add to our routines to be more competitive,” Witzigreuter said.
This was the first time that the team has competed at a national tournament, and team captain Madalynne Wills thinks it was a great learning experience for the team.
“As a team we grew in support, sportsmanship, motivation, drive and many other areas. For the first time, we had a real goal other than performing at a [football or basketball] game,” Wills said.
The team hopes to attend and improve upon their performance at the national competition next year.
“We hope to improve greatly on technique, originality, style and size of our team,” Wills said. “[So we can] attend nationals again next year.”
