Ohio State Dance Team brings dance to the athletics department

As dancers, we often dream of a world where dance is viewed with the same level of appreciation, enthusiasm and respect as that of a sports team. When dance is given the right tools, time and techniques to achieve success both in studio and on stage, this dream can become a reality. With 11 national championships and two world championships, the Ohio State Dance Team is a leader in this vision. 

The dance team originated as a club under the recreation sport department in 2011 at Ohio State. With the help of alumni, staff and hardworking students alike, the group transitioned to a D1 sports team in 2014. “It was a lot of work about figuring out our identity within the broader athletic team,” says Melissa McGhee, head coach of the team. It was during McGhee’s senior year, in which the team made its transition. With cheer and a mascot already a part of the sports department, it was essential for the dance team to uncover how they would fit into the mix. Eleven years later, it is evident that the team has shifted seamlessly into the athletics department, continuing to collaborate with cheer and the school mascot, Brutus the Buckeye, for school sporting events. 

A recruiting process is used for new students to join the team each year. Dancers have the chance to be recruited during camps, clinics, combines and competitions. Prospective dancers also have the opportunity to submit a video for consideration. McGhee is in search of well-rounded individuals to join the team, those with a “high work ethic and leadership” are the two characteristics that she holds with utmost importance. Creating and cultivating a family-like feeling on the team is what creates a strong team bond. The dancer’s technique is important, but the qualities a dancer demonstrates outside of the studio are equally essential. 

With recent guest choreographers including Ricky Ubeda and Taylor Tsvyetkov, the team is collaborating with leaders in the field. Choreographers are chosen each year based on a “myriad of different factors,” says McGhee. McGhee looks for a “team synergy” among both the dancers and choreographers chosen. Each year, the dancers learn two routines, including both a jazz and pom phrase that they compete in nationals. Different routines are learned for game day performances. The type of routines created are based on the choreographer’s individual process in addition to the direction the team feels inspired to take. 

The team is known for its routines that are executed with the utmost attention to technical care and detailed precision. With that comes a lengthy rehearsal process providing dancers with the chance to perfect each movement. The team has three-hour practice blocks which occur four times per week, in addition to three training blocks of strength and conditioning led by a separate coach. These training blocks are “catch all time frames,” which include a structured warm-up and some combination of learning, cleaning and rehearsing. Rehearsals are most often led by the coaches, although sometimes a team captain will take the lead. This deep attunement to detail and strong precision is only possible through a very thorough rehearsal and cleaning process. The team often spends upwards of 30 to 45 minutes rehearsing one eight-count of phrase work. 

Dancers work to find balance between their commitments to the team and their academic studies. Most dancers on the team have grown up with intense training schedules where balancing dance and academics was their norm. McGhee comments on the fact that many of the dancers have “already built that skillset sometime in their life” and so joining the team at Ohio State is just a matter of adjusting to the intensity and volume that college dance and training brings. Dancers also have access to a wide variety of tools within the department to support their health and well-being such as a nutritionist, athletic trainer and psychologist. 

Training and academics aside, what sets the team apart from others is the strength of the team culture. McGhee has spent the past several years “refining and honing in on what is important.”  “Common sense” and “being a good person” are what the coaches and staff value most. The team demonstrates that a dancers’ character and work ethic stands to be equally important to their dancing abilities. With the team mission to “honor the past, maximize the present, and impact the future,” Ohio State Dance Team is paving way to what is possible for a competitive dance team at the collegiate level. 

For more information, visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/2018/7/2/dance-team.

By Rachel Marchica of Dance Informa.

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