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Four years ago, the Emmanuel Dance Team set a goal of competing in the Universal Dance Association (UDA) national championship.
That goal become a milestone in January, with the program’s first-ever trip to the UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship.
“It took a lot of careful strategy and effort from everyone involved, but it’s been a huge accomplishment to bring the team to the national stage and to represent Emmanuel in such an impactful and public way,” said co-coach Alyssa Aughenbaugh ’19.
The Emmanuel Dance team placed 19th, an outcome co-coach Megan Costa ’19 credited to the talent and commitment of the group.
“From the start it was really important to us that we cultivated a positive team culture that focused on trust and a strong work ethic, and emphasized the importance of working together,” said Costa. “The athletes on our team really leaned into that.”
Aiming for the national competition was a team decision, which was made shortly after Dance Team alums Aughenbaugh and Costa returned to the squad as co-coaches in 2020. Team Captain Kylie Gracia ’25 was part of those discussions, and said it was very rewarding seeing everything come to fruition.
“We knew it could happen,” said Gracia. “We weren’t sure if we’d still be here, but we knew it was attainable with the work ethic of the team.”
The road to the National Championship has two key hurdles: First, the team must qualify by placing in the top three of regional competitions for consecutive years. The other is fundraising to cover the cost of travel, accommodations at Walt Disney World resort, and registration for the event itself.
The team overcame these obstacles through persistence and hard work; practice in the studio and each dancer committing to fundraise by working six events every year.
The dancers would work concessions at Boston College or behind the scenes at area dance events. There was a sense of comradery that grew out of that shared effort, said Captain Lily Casey ’25. She said it was like having a support group of 24 close friends that you can count on.
“It took so much work from everyone on the team, but when we finally got here, we knew we deserved to be here,” said Casey. “Everyone had to pull their weight for this to come true.”
The Emmanuel Development team also assisted by reaching out to alumni and longtime supporters of the program to ask their support.
Aughenbaugh also credited fellow Dance Team alum Yiota Zeintinidis ’08 for playing a pivotal role by choreographing the squad’s competition routine the past couple of years.
The Dance Team was established in 1995 by two dancers-- Tomeka Cribb ’96 and Chantalle Souffrant ’97—who wanted to bring dancing and fun to the sidelines of Emmanuel basketball games.
Looking ahead, Aughenbaugh is optimistic that the pieces are now in place to make the national competition a mainstay of the program as well.
“For me, it was very important as we embarked on this aspiration to something sustainable,” said Aughenbaugh. “I would like this to be a culminating event for our program year over year.”
