By Jessie Kuenzel
Staff Writer
The Simmons College Dance Company’s Competition Team returned home this weekend proud of their accomplishments at the Universal Dance Association competition.
The team came in 7th at this year’s competition, which was held at Westfield State University.
At first, 7th place might not sound like a newsworthy story. However, it isn’t their ranking at the competition that makes this such a proud moment for the team, but rather the story of how they got there.
Consisting of 13 students, the SCDC Competition Team is an entirely student-run organization; everything from practices to choreography is all managed solely by the team.
This put them at a distinct disadvantage compared to the other teams they were up against at this weekend’s competition.
The Universal Dance Association Competition is a regional competition that is equivalent to Division III college sports. Other teams that attended this event were part of their College’s official dance programs, coming fully equipped with professional coaches and all.
To have placed so highly among these teams is a huge accomplishment for the SCDC Competition Team. They competed in the “jazz” category, with a routine with a routine choreographed by Kate Stieper to a remix of the song “Wake Me Up.”
The Competition Team is officially part of the Simmons College Dance Company, but is run separately. The Competition Team practices on Sundays, and many members of the team also spend additional time during the week in other dance-related activities.
For a team that receives relatively little official support from the school in comparison to other sports, the Competition Team works amazingly hard every week to ensure they uphold the good Simmons College name. Their performance this weekend deserves a big round of applause.
The SCDC has many events and activities coming up, namely “Dancing With the Professors” and their big show in April.
Keep an eye out for upcoming news about the SCDC, and if you see a member of the team, be sure to congratulate them.
