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Come behind the scenes with the Dexter Varsity Dance Team as they took on UDA Nationals
By: Jenna Lenkowski & Ella Nelson
Bass booming, team huddles, blinding lights, and sweaty palms, this is what these ladies have been working towards all season.
On January 31, 2024, the Dexter Varsity Dance Team took on UDA Nationals in Orlando, Florida. For the next four days, the team showcased all of the hard work they put in during the 2023-2024 season. These Dreads overcame a lot throughout the year, including losing a vital teammate due to an injury. This resulted in re-choreographing all three dances just two weeks before their take-off.
Hundreds of high school teams perform at the National Dance Championship each year. The categories are rigorous, and only the best of the best make it through. The Dexter Dance Team performs in the Medium Pom, Jazz, and Game day categories against 50-plus teams in a span of 3 days. Every year, the competition gets more and more challenging, resulting in vastly different placings than years before. Although these circumstances are less than ideal, that doesn’t stop these extremely talented ladies from putting in their best effort. The team practices Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday every week for a combined total of twelve hours. Each person is incredibly dedicated to working hard from the beginning of the season in April, to Nationals in January. At the National Dance Team Championship, the Dreadnaughts took home 6th place in the DII Medium Varsity Gameday category. This accomplishment was very difficult to achieve for the team. The Gameday category has two rounds; semi-finals and finals. At the end of semis, these lady Dreads were placed 9th, dead last. Perseverance was key here; they practiced for several hours, aiming to bring pride to the Dreadnaught name. After finals the next day, the team jumped up three places and attained that 6th place spot.
Hard work and dedication are what these thirteen girls left on the floor this season; no matter the outcome, they knew what they deserved. 6th place at UDA Nationals is not an easy place to get to. Only the best of the best make it out onto that finals floor to give it their all. The team performed their dances for the last time with honor, joy, and a sense of achievement that worked all year long.
