By: Danica Propst

WVWC Dance Team wins a bid to the National Dance Association competition in April in Daytona, Florida where they will compete in the Division II section for a national title. 

On Labor Day weekend 2022, WVWC Dance Team participated in a home camp to receive a bid to the National Dance Association (NDA) collegiate competition. A home camp is where two staffers from the NDA itself come to your campus and observe your team’s performance qualities, including technique, execution of combinations taught by the staffers, and an evaluation of team performance of a routine that the team learns within the camp. 

Last year the dance team also competed at the national level and placed 7th in the competition. 

These staffers take these results and compare them to those of other collegiate dance teams to determine who receives the bid to go to the national competition. At the end of the camp, the dancers received the news that they had received the bid and would be heading to Daytona in the spring.

The news got even better when they discovered that they had gotten a bronze bid, meaning that they receive a grant from the NDA that will cover some of the costs of the trip, including the price of hotel accommodations. 

The competition is a full week, but the team is only competing for two days. The other days will be spent practicing and soaking up the sun, as they are staying right on the beach. They are already preparing their competitive team performance now to ensure that it is ready to go come April. 

This opportunity is making some members of the team emotional, especially seniors Chelyan Smith and Loren Keene. Keene said, “As a senior it feels extremely overwhelming, exciting and memorable. I have been dancing for 17 years believe it or not. I have dedicated my life to this dance world and have no regrets just love for the art of movement. My last NDA camp they said the theme this year is “Leave Your Legacy.” I don’t know what better words than that to close this chapter of my life. I hope when it comes time me and my teammates leave everything out on the floor and feel proud that we did it again. That’s the legacy I want to leave.” 

Freshmen member of the team Makenzie Fultineer, who has been inspired by the words of this senior member,  says, “I think that it is a great opportunity for the freshmen members of the team to experience a level of competition that we haven’t gotten to yet since this competition is solely collegiate, far different than what we have seen before. I feel like this experience will only bring us closer as a team as we enjoy our time at the beach!”