Bearcat dance team captures championship
By Jacob Dirr
| UC |  |
| Gallery of competition photos |
Disney World became a "magical" place
in January for 13 Bearcat dancers whose dreams of capturing a national
championship came true for the second year in a row.
Competing against more than 20 of the country’s best dance teams,
the Bearcats overcame early setbacks, young talent and numerous injuries
to place first in the Division 1A hip-hop category and fourth in the more
traditional dance or jazz category at the National Cheerleading and Dance
Championship at Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando. "I
think they did an outstanding job and had awesome energy," said head
coach Lisa Spears. "They put on a great show."
"I’m extremely proud," said team captain Jennifer Endres,
a fifth-year member. "In the beginning, I didn’t know what
to feel. I was just glad for the university that we could bring this home
to them."
The team’s student leadership and endurance enabled members to achieve
their greatest success in the team’s 15-year history, assistant
coach Korin Smith said. "They really pulled together come national
time and did it so well. We tried to prepare them for what was to come.
It’s such a shock when you get there."
On the floor, a lot of things can go wrong; one misstep can destroy a
team’s chances. One UC dancer lost her hat during the course of
a routine, and although judges mentioned it in their scoring, they did
not give a penalty.
The most pressing factor during competition is team synchronicity, Smith
added, followed by technique, appearance and choreography. To help create
their prize hip-hop routine, the team turned to Barry Youngblood, a choreographer
who has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Pink, Christina Aguilera and Ja Rule.
After Youngblood attended three practices with the team, the Bearcats
took over. "Once we get the choreography, we do a lot to make it
our own," Endres said.
The dancers overcame an early setback this season when they sent a video
of their jazz routine to qualifying judges. Placing 15th among the competition
hopefuls was good enough to qualify, but the lowest the team had ever
scored in qualifying, said Emily Greenstone, one of the few first-year
members to compete in Florida.
"We basically had two and a half months to start from scratch,"
she said, crediting much of the quick turnaround to Spears, who brought
in Broadway choreographer Jeannine Sabo to assist in creating a new jazz
routine.
"[Spears] is probably the best coach I have worked under," Greenstone
said. "She always makes the decisions that are best for the team."
The head coach said she has worked hard to create scholastic opportunities
for dancers and to lobby for additional coaches. "I’ve tried
to better the program in many ways," she said, adding that she hopes
the team’s success on a national level will be recognized at the
university.
Anything but easy
The road to Florida began last May, when dozens showed up to see if they
could make the cut. Spears, currently in her seventh year as head coach,
initially selected 21 out of 70 hopefuls to join the team -- designating
13 for the varsity squad.
Once Spears had her dancers, she put the team to work: four four-hour
practices a week, plus their academic duties. When football season started,
the dancers performed at all home games, too.
But it was the first day after football season, when the varsity squad
began practicing nearly every day of the week and performing during men’s
basketball games, that separated the women from the girls.
As testament to the grueling weekly routine these dancers endure, more
than half the team currently suffers from at least one injury. "I
can’t remember the last time I wasn’t sore or didn’t
look for elevators so I didn’t have to use the stairs," said
Greenstone, who has danced competitively since age 3.
Participating in a season that begins in May and ends around March, the
dance team has one of the longest and most work-intensive seasons in UC
athletics. What the crowds never see are the faces wrenching from pain
or the dancers limping home after practice. In fact, several dancers quit
this year because they could not endure the workload.
"There are a lot of people that think we just go out there, throw
pompoms around and where skimpy outfits," said Endres, who graduates
soon. "Unless you experience it, there is no way you could know the
amount of work we put in."
More than a trophy
Besides bringing success on the national level, Endres’ dance experiences
have taught her about life: the value of hard work, how to take criticism
constructively, to "never give up and always have that drive to improve."
Most of all, dancing competitively has taught her the importance of being
confident, on and off the dance floor.
"Confidence is important," she said. "If you don’t
have confidence, the audience can see through your performance and your
smile."
The Bearcat cheerleaders also competed in Orlando, led by the all-girl
squad, which captured seventh place overall. In the Division IA finals,
the co-ed cheerleading team placed 15th in a field of 22 squads.
The National Championship will air more than 50 times in the upcoming
year on ESPN/ESPN2.
News release with official results
Bearcat dance team site
Images from competition
