Dancer and Parent Guide to College Dance Team Recruitment
Consider your priorities and what you are looking for in your college dance team experience.
Are you looking for a team that is highly competitive, requiring significant dedication and sacrifice? Or do you want a team that is less demanding in terms of time commitment but still offers a competitive collegiate experience? Maybe you don’t want to compete at all but would like to join a team that has a strong presence on game day and at other school events. Whatever you envision for your future collegiate dance team experience, there is a team out there that is a perfect fit for YOU!
When considering potential teams, make sure you look into all of the commitments and requirements to determine the best fit (i.e. team training and practice hours, GPA requirements, travel, promos, etc.). It’s great to reach for the stars, but I suggest having a range of teams on your list of varying skill levels. The reality is, there could be only a handful of spots available on your dream team and there might be a team you haven’t even heard of or considered yet that you will eventually discover and fall in love with! Try to keep an open mind and be realistic about your goals - it’s not just your dance ability that will land you a spot on the team! Of course, you need to have the talent level that coaches are looking for (can you do all the skills in their nationals routine?), but there are also other considerations like personality, and academics that come into play.L
Looking up past collegiate dance team national competition results can be a helpful place to start finding teams to add to your list! Below you’ll find links to results from some of the most common collegiate national dance team competitions. Take a look at the list and then search YouTube videos, websites, and social media platforms for more information about the teams you are interested in!
UDA (Universal Dance Association) results https://tv.varsity.com/articles/11895289-uda-college-nationals-2024-champions
NDA (National Dance Alliance) results https://tv.varsity.com/events/11267612-2024-nca-nda-college-nationals/results
DTU (Dance Team Union) College Classic results https://www.thecollegeclassic.com/_files/ugd/8d9ab7_0d40734cff9f4a9fb8f88d9c9f5e24f0.pdf
USA (United Spirit Association) results https://tv.varsity.com/events/11267707-2024-usa-spirit-nationalscollegiate-champsjr-nats/results
Lastly, consider more than just dance! Once you start visiting campuses and researching programs, things like academic programs, location, housing, financial feasibility, weather, etc. should help you narrow down your search, determine your priorities and paint a more complete picture of where you see yourself dancing, studying, and living for the next 4 years!