Club Corner: Competition Dance Team

BY TRAVIS FICK
Managing Editor

During a men’s basketball game in March, the Saint Mary’s University competition dance team will showcase their ability to teach others to dance.

Each year, the compeition dance team matches up with a few male students in the annual guy/girl dance.

“They (guys) try to act like they are just having fun with the dance and try to be funny while performing,” said Megan Mollison, a senior captain, in an e-mail interview. “But truly, they are trying to remember what comes next and make sure they perform to their best.” The competition dance team first began in 2000 and has grown in popularity since then. The 2009-10 dance team is composed of 14 women who follow the lead of captains Mollison, Sarah Mills, senior, and Allison Johnson, sophomore.

The team competes at various competitions around the state, but their most popular on-campus event is the guy/girl dance, said Mollison. “The guy /girl dance is popular because it is not everyday that you see a guy having the coordination to kick up to their nose and do the splits,” said Mollison. “The guys who have participated in the guy/girl dance realize what kind of skill a performance takes.”

The three captains create the group’s choreography and are responsible for teaching the rest of the team and the men who “volunteer” for the guy/girl dance. “It is a lot of work for them (guys) to learn all of the different elements, formations, choreography and coordination of a dancer,” said Mollison. “And when some guys try to perform a high kick, it can be a little rocky.”

Mollison said that the dance team puts in a lot of work and dedication to the success of the team. “We have great potential, and we can continue to go far,” said Mollison. “The dance team will never give up on hard work, and we will continue with strong dedication.” The guy/girl dance will take place at a men’s basketball game sometime in March 2010 and will be announced to the campus after the start of the spring semester.