Written by: Sadie Latimer | News Editor
Western’s dance team took to the field Nov. 2, during the halftime of a men’s rugby game. They danced to the song “7/11” by Beyoncé with a lively hip-hop routine that was choreographed by Vic Linne and Jo Bell, officers of the dance team. When the song finished, the dancers hit their final pose while the rugby crowd cheered. Each member of the team had a smile on their face as they waved to their audience and ran off the field.
The dance team also performed at the football game Nov. 9. It was their last performance of the Fall term. They danced to a mash-up of different songs and showcased the four seniors on the team. The seniors being recognized were Anna Martinez, Jo Bell, Diana Gray and Crystal Robertson. Another senior, Vic Linne, was also recognized but didn’t perform at the football game.
Abbi Duhart, an English and dance double major and sophomore at Western, joined the dance team Fall term of 2023.
“This is my sixth year of doing dance,” said Duhart. “I started when I was in eighth grade, but I did primarily ballet. It wasn’t until I got to college and I joined the dance team that I really branched out into hip-hop.”
Learning hip-hop pushed Duhart out of her comfort zone, but ultimately she was thankful she decided to audition for the team. “It was something I wouldn’t normally do, but … why wouldn’t I want to do something that might be fun or that I might be interested in?”
During the start of each term, the rehearsals are mainly focused on learning different techniques. Further into the term, the team focuses on learning choreography for their dances. It gets especially busy Winter term during basketball season, where they perform at the home games.
“Sometimes it can even be learning more than one dance in a day,” said Duhart. “It can get stressful, but everyone is really supportive and there for you, especially the officers. It’s a really good community to be a part of, and it’s a lot of fun.”
The dances are mainly choreographed by the officers of the team. “The president probably does the most (choreography), but they all contribute to different dances. In basketball season, it sometimes also opens up to anyone on the team that wants to choreograph,” said Duhart. Students on the dance team can not only learn techniques and hip-hop dances, but they also can get the opportunity to try their hand at choreography.
Auditions are held at the end of each term for students who are considering joining the dance team.
“(This Wednesday) is open practice. Anyone can come and practice with us for technique to get ready for winter tryouts, which are the following week.”
Auditions will be Nov. 18 and Nov. 20 from 5 – 7:30 p.m. in room 253 of the Health and Wellness Center. The team’s Instagram — @wou_danceteam — has a Google Form linked in their bio for students who are interested to fill out before auditions.
“I think people should audition if they have any inkling of being interested in dance and if they want to have fun with dance and learn new dance styles,” said Duhart. “Anyone can audition regardless of how you identify, how you look or your dance experience. Even if you’ve never danced in your life, you can audition. It’s open to anyone.” Auditions and rehearsals are both spaces that are always free of judgment.
“Just go for it if you think you might be interested,” said Duhart. If students audition and make it onto the team, they have the option of not performing if they don’t want to.
“It’s a good outlet for … getting away from school-related things,” said Duhart. She emphasized that the team is a great community, full of accepting and supportive people who want the best for every single member.
If students want to support the dance team, they can show up to football, rugby and basketball games and cheer on the dancers during halftime. Another way to support the dance team is to buy tickets to their showcase Spring term of 2025. “(The showcase) is where we perform all the dances from the whole year to showcase them. It’s specifically for the dance team, so it really shows support when people go to see it,” said Duhart.
Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu
