By Aubreanna Miller
editor@wayneherald.com
For the first time since its start, the Wayne State College Dance Team, the Aristocats, will compete in a national dance competition.
After flying down to Orlando, Florida, the 15 WSC dancers will perform their pom routine entitled "Spicy" in the UDA (Universal Dance Association) semi-final tournament on Saturday, Jan. 13.
The tournament features four categories based on school size with the Aristocats competing against other small schools across the country. If the group makes it through the semi-final round, they will move onto the finals on Sunday, Jan. 14.
To qualify, the dancers participated in a UDA summer camp, working with the organization to showcase their skill level, according to Taryn Thompson, Aristocat dance coach for two years and owner of the Wayne Dance Company.
Interest in the group has grown immensely during the last few years, jumping from an average of five to six members to 15. Thompson explained.
"The program really started to grow, and to continue to grow, they needed a coach," she said. "This year, our focus has been on preparing for nationals and proving ourselves as an athletic group instead of just a club. We've become part of athletics at Wayne State, which has brought a whole host of opportunities and pushed us to compete at higher levels."
Along with Thompson's leadership, guidance from co-captains Naudia Larsen and Josie Miller, has changed the face of WSC dance.
All 15 dancers work together to create pom, jazz, hip hop and kick routines through the year, both for sports games and performances, but Larsen and Miller handle all the specifics and expectations.
"We have created weekly goal sheets that we share with the girls," Larsen explained. "Each girl has to video themselves and post it to our Facebook group. It's a nice way to hold each other accountable in different aspects of the dance, staying sharp and practicing facial expressions, which are all important."
During the school year, the Aristocats practice three times per week with occasional Sunday practices. They also stay involved throughout the community by hosting kids camps, performing for local nursing homes and walking in parades.
To pay for the trip and competition expenses, the girls held several fundraisers- selling cookies, clothes, calenders and having friends and family "adopt a dancer" by donating to the trip fund.
"I have loved watching this organization grow over the last four years," Larsen said, smiling. "It started from something small and will only skyrocket from here. That's the hope."
"We're both excited and nervous going into the competition," Miller said. "We know this is our first experience at this level, so we are approaching it with a humble attitude. This, hopefully, will give us the push to continue to be competitive moving forward."
To stay updated on the competition, watch live on Varsity TV or follow along on uda.varsity.com, UDAnews on Twitter and Universal Dance Association on Facebook.
