By KIMBERLY WOODLAND
The Ballroom Dance Company recently came off its national win at the U.S. National Formation Dance Championship held August 29 in Costa Mesa, California.
For the 16th year in a row, the Ballroom Dance Team has taken home the first-place trophy. The Ballroom Dance Team has the reputation as the strongest ballroom dance team in the nation and has the trophies to prove it.
Claudia Hill, part-time instructor in the dance department, said their caliber of dancing is exciting and energetic. The dance team is known for its breathtaking broadway-quality shows, their beautiful costumes and their show-stopping numbers.
Danielle Davis, a Ballroom Dance Team member, said the team performed two medleys. One medley is a standard medley with the theme from “Les Miserables”. This medley was performed at the first Devotional this fall. The dances presented were the waltz, tango, fox trot, Viennese waltz, and quick step.
The other medley was a Latin American dance consisting of the cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive. The music was originally composed with an island caribbean feeling.
“There’s a significant gap between the skills of BYU(dancers)and other teams,” said Lee Wakefield, artistic director for the Ballroom Dance Company. “The competition is not difficult for us, but it is important that we represent BYU and maintain our reputation.”
Besides the World of Dance, the team is preparing to compete at the British Open Ballroom Dance Competition. Since ballroom dancing began in Europe, the level of competitiveness is much greater than anywhere in the U.S. Despite the competition, the BYU Ballroom Dance team has been able to bring home the first-ever American first-place award from the British Open.
The team has earned twelve first place awards since 1971.
The Ballroom Dance Team consists of 36 members and has the largest collegiate ballroom dance program in the world.
The dance team is known world-wide for their exciting show. The program incorporates steps from the Viennese waltz to the west coast swing. The team uses its two-hour program as a missionary tool to share the gospel when performing in other states and countries. The company has performed in 37 U.S. states and 26 countries.
