Elizabethtown College’s dance team got invited to a national dancing competition held in Florida from April 11 to April 13. Emotions for the dance team could not reach higher heights as the club members practice and prepare to dance their best. Dance team Captain and integrated studies major Olivia Fabiano and dance team Choreographer and occupational therapy major Juila Perella took the time to discuss how the team feels heading into this competition.

Elizabethtown College’s dance team performs at various events across the campus, including half-time shows, accepted student days and club-run charity events. 

They’ve also recently introduced a new show known as “Dancing With The Jays,” which Fabiano describes as “Dancing With The Stars,” but with members of the campus community.

Fabiano notes how the organization did not start attending competitions until recently, where the dance team “was invited to an industry dance challenge and…formed a really nice partnership with them.”

From there, they applied to the “College Classic” national competition, described as “an outlet for collegiate dance teams” that features various brackets based on skill level, according to Perrella. During this competition, the dance team will perform three dances in varying styles ranging from jazz to hip-hop.

Heading to a national competition only relatively recently became a long-term goal for the dance team , according to Fabiano. She mentions how she and dance team Co-Captain and occupational therapy major Alyssa Crane desired to attend nationals, but that it always felt more idealistic due to a lack of funding. 

“We never thought going to a national competition would be a thing, and honestly, everyone kinda thought it wasn’t going to work…It kind of seems really out there,” Fabiano said. ”People throughout the school thought we were kind of crazy for thinking this was possible, cause most schools have a coach and they have funding and sponsors…but we have fundraised like crazy, like crazy!” 

Since the news regarding their entrance into the national competition arrived, refinement and practice became routine for the dance team. Fabiano describes how the team “has been practicing like crazy” on their routines, including one based on the high-movement jazz-based style of pom.

“I’d probably say the craziest—or most work put into—[dance] would be the pom. None of us had ever done that style before except for two members: the choreographer and one of our sophomores,” Fabiano said. “I feel like that one has been crazy, it’s a lot of visuals to look at, a lot of different timings…it’s been a new world for a lot of us.”

As a new entrant to national dance competitions, Perrella notes how the dance team will compete against teams on the same skill level as them. Specifically, the competition features three skill-based categories ranging from Division III—the most skilled—to Division I, the dance team’s intended category.

Regardless of how the competition plays out for the Elizabethtown-bound dance team, they’ll win or lose together.

“We all look like we’re having the best time [on the dance floor], “ Perrella said. “We’ve created a really special bond!”