Occidental’s Dance Team can be seen performing at halftime during sporting events or on the quad for the occasional special performance, but the group has not attended a competition since 2016. This year, they decided to change that. Co-captain Maleha Innocent (junior) said that she and co-captain Hanna Beck (junior) knew they wanted to bring the team back to a competition since the summer of 2023.
“Ever since 2021 when we came back to campus, the program has slowly been getting back on its feet,” Innocent said. “I wanted to get Dance Team back to where it was before, while also taking things a step further and trying to continue its legacy for years to come. We’re kind of pushing the envelope on many different things, including going back to competition.”
According to Innocent, what makes Dance Team different from the many dance clubs on campus is that it is an advanced level group that requires prior dance experience and a tryout in order to join.
“Normal practices consist of learning our routine or new technique, working on turns, flexibility and tricks,” Innocent said. “That’s what we were focused on in the first semester. We really wanted to build up our skill level so we had that foundation before preparing for competition.”
Julie Wang (first year) said that Dance Team is more geared towards the professional and competitive side of dance and has a higher commitment level opposed to the other dance groups at Occidental.
Wang has been dancing for 13 years and has been exposed to many different styles throughout that time. She said that one of the things that drew her to Occidental was the diverse dance culture.
“At first, I was a Chinese classical and ballet dancer,” Wang said. “Then, my high school dance team was something that worked as a really good transition for me to introduce me to all kinds of different styles. I think it did a really good job of adding to my inventory as a dancer, so I decided to continue it in college.”
Kenna Mueller (first year) was a gymnast for eight years and had never been technically trained in dance but decided to try out for the team after a recommendation from Beck.
“I was kind of nervous, but I thought it would be a fun opportunity especially since it’s kind of similar to gymnastics,” Mueller said. “It’s a lot of fun, we’ve created a whole community of people that love to dance at a higher level.”
According to Wang, the Dance Team’s members were not anticipating a return to competitive training at the start of the semester, given the team’s nine-year competition hiatus.
“At Admitted Students’ Day when I was touring, they told me the Dance Team doesn’t compete, but I joined anyway,” Wang said. “Then towards the beginning of spring semester our captains told us that we’re actually going to be competing which I was so excited about.”
Mueller said the return to competition has made the team’s practices more intense and challenging, and that the team has doubled their practice schedule from three to six practices.
“A lot more preparation and dedication has gone into [competition],” Mueller said. “I’m in the dance studio when I don’t have to be just to practice and make myself better. I stretch a lot more to make sure my flexibility is good, which I did not do when we were practicing before.”
According to Innocent, the Dance Team has no coach, so as the co-captains, she and Beck have to do administrative work, clean routines, teach technique, do one-on-one coaching and find choreographers to come in.
This semester, the captains brought in a professional choreographer to teach and clean a routine over the course of four practices which they then performed at the competition on April 5.
“We’re putting our heart and soul and as much energy as we can into this in order to perform a routine that’s representative of all of the hard work we’ve done since September,” Innocent said.
Wang said that this performance has been putting a lot more pressure on the team, since they are being judged and are hoping to come home with a trophy for their efforts.
“We’re definitely still having fun, but there’s much higher stakes than usual,” Wang said. “We’re spending more time on turns, leaps and tricks and we are all more invested. The people on the team have danced for most of their lives, so we really think we can do it.”
On April 6, the team won the adult dance category at the SHARP competition. Innocent said that after the competition, she plans to ride the high they’re on and continue using the energy they have built over the course of the school year.
“I would hate to just do nothing afterwards,” Innocent said. “Throughout this process we’ve grown closer with each other, and we have such a good relationship with one another. I think they probably feel similar as well, they don’t want it to just stop.”
According to Innocent, one of the things the Dance Team plans on doing during the final month of school is to hold classes that will be open for any student to take.
“We worked with a choreographer who is incredible and has so much to offer, and we want to keep learning and challenging ourselves so we’re going to be offering two or three master classes throughout the month of April,” Innocent said.
Mueller said that the environment created on the Dance Team has been an incredible thing to be a part of, and she is excited to continue dancing and competing in the years to come.
“It’s really rewarding,” Mueller said. “You put in so much work and so much time, you get injured and have bruises all over your legs, and watching yourself progressively get better from the beginning of the semester to now makes it all worth it.”
Contact Izzy Shotwell at shotwell@oxy.edu
