Dance team steps into national third place
Vol. 17, No. 17Jan. 22, 1998

Fancy footwork
Dance team steps into national third place

The Precision Dance Team performs during a basketball game in the Bob Carpenter Center.
The University Precision Dance Team placed third in the Universal Cheerleading Association National Cheerleading Championship Jan. 9 in Orlando, Fla.

The Precision Dance Team placed sixth at the National Championships last year, and this year's success was due to the experience of the dance team, Ann Marie Parisi, coach of the team for the last three years, said.

Six of the women were returning team members who danced at last year's national competition, but all the other members of the team have competed in dance competitions or in pageants, Parisi said.

"Their experience gave them a confidence that really showed through on the floor. They were dynamic!" Parisi said. "I am very lucky to coach such a talented team."

According to Parisi, to qualify for the competition, the team submitted a video of a two-minute dance routine. The judges looked for difficulty, various styles, precision and quickness of the routine, and the team placed seventh out of 31 video submissions before the competition began.

The team then choreographed a special dance routine for the national competition, using parts of the video routine and adding new moves, Parisi explained.

The team that competed at the national competition was made up of 13 women of the 19-member team, 12 of whom danced in the competition and one who served as an alternate.

In addition to the choreography, Parisi said, the team was responsible for such details as music, costumes, hair, makeup and presentation style.

The nationally ranked UD Precision Dance Team will continue to perform during the Blue Hen men's and women's home basketball games for the rest of the season. The team's season ends in April with tryouts for next year.

-Gail Walford
Photo by Robert Cohen

Cheers all round

In addition to the Precision Dance Team's third place showing at the National Cheerleading Championship, UD's Cheerleading Team placed sixth in Division I, and YoUDee won an honorable mention in the mascot competition. UD was one of the few schools represented by a dance team, cheerleading squad and mascot, all of whom qualified to compete in the national Universal Cheerleading Association competitions.