Ike dance team earns national title

The Eisenhower High School Varsity Dance team has earned the national championship. 

The 18-member team was named champion at the Universal Dance Association’s National Dance Team Championship, held February 1 and 2 at Walt Disney World Resort® in Orlando, Florida. It is the only national championship of its kind. 

"I have no words to express how proud I am of them,” team Coach Rachel Anthony said. “We never talked about winning this year...and that made the difference.  We just talked about dancing the best we could for ourselves, coach, seniors, and alumni who helped to pave the way for this program. I knew this year was going to be special from day one.” 

This is the seventh year the Eisenhower team has earned entry into the national finals. 

To be a finalist, teams had to place among the top three in regional competition and compete in the national semi-finals. Teams are judged by a panel of college coaches and Universal Dance Association top staff and rated on difficulty, technique, and overall performance. 

The team competed under the theme “Just Dance” and featured a tribute to the nine seniors who will be leaving the program at the end this year.

Anthony said the team begins practicing on at least a weekly basis in April. 
The National Dance Team Championship is scheduled to be shown on ESPN2 in March. This year, more than 42 teams from across the country participated in the championship.