The Saginaw Valley State University dance team recently competed in the Dance Team Union 2023 College Classic competition, ranking first place in Jazz, second place in Hip Hop, and fourth place in their team performance.
They moved on to compete in the DTU College Classic National Championship in Orlando April 6-8.
The 2023 team has 15 members who have been performing throughout the year.
Alexis McNally, sophomore business management major, shared her excitement for the Orlando competition.
“So far, we’ve been in Orlando for 2 days, and for me, it’s beginning to feel real,” she said. “The energy and adrenaline are high, and as a team we are growing even closer. This is the moment we have been working for since June, and with it finally being here, we as a team are ready to fight to bring home some national titles.”
She also shared her expectations for the competition.
“The fight is not over, and with the positive attitude we’ve got going into this weekend, I have a strong feeling we will win a title.”
Jen McNally, the SVSU dance team coach, shared about the year the team has had.
“I can’t even put into words how proud I am of this team. They have overcome so many obstacles,” she said. “Including the flu hitting our team while we have been here. The young women with the flu have pushed through to perform, and the ones who were healthy pushed harder for their team. I have never watched them perform so well. They really are a special group.”
She stated that she has great expectations for the final competition.
“I have no idea what finals will throw our way but I do know these women will leave it all on the floor. I know they will make SVSU proud.”
Victoria Koury, Freshman Marketing and Economics double major, talked about the progress of the team this year.
“I can confidently say that the team we were at Dance Team Union Camp in August is not the same team taking the floor this week in Orlando,” she said. “We have taken a full 180 turn and shifted our focus from wanting to win for others, to wanting to win for ourselves! Every single member of SVDT wants to keep pushing and proving to others what we are here for.”
She also spoke about recruitment for future members.
“Being recruitment chair I am able to see behind the scenes of all the fresh talent we have coming in. We already have 7 extraordinary dancers who have committed to our program to the 2023-2024 season.”
Jamie McKelvey, Junior Engineering Technology Management major, and Taylor Piro, Sophomore Criminal Justice and Sociology double major shared their excitement as well.
“I’m so very excited and proud of our team for doing so well in the virtual competition and can’t wait to see how we do in the DTU College Classic Competition,” McKelvey said. “This team has a ton of talented dancers and I’m positive the future holds great opportunities and successes for us all!”
Piro thanked the SVSU community for their support.
“We love representing SVSU and thank you for being such a supportive community. We hope you’ll continue to love and support us!”
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