The University of Minnesota dance team will compete at the ICU World Championship.
MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota Dance Team is filled with pride.
They were selected as the U.S. National Team and will compete at the International Cheerleading Union World Championship next week. The last team they competed at the ICU World’s was in 2014. More than 10 years later, they’re back to compete in the jazz and pom category.
“We’re super excited. It’s such an honor to be able to represent the country and be able to get to this competition, and we’re just really excited to head out there next week,” said Mia Tassani, a sophomore on the team.
It was Tassani’s dream to earn a spot on UMDT. She always wanted to wear maroon and gold, but she never thought she would wear red, white, and blue.
“It’s such an amazing honor,” she said.
To prepare for the international stage, the team hosted a U.S. National Showcase. They invited several dance studios to perform between their performances.
“The energy in Williams Arena is just unbeatable,” said Kally Hilton, a senior on the team. “We can’t even hear the turns in the best way possible, and then you finish and you’re just smiling and beaming and so is everyone else in the room.”
Hilton said they train to handle the noise.
“Actually, it’s one of our running jokes at practice that we all get in a big circle and then we cheer as loud as we can at each other while you turn, so you practice in the environment that you perform in,” Hilton said
And performing in front of about 4,500 people is a good way to mimic that environment down in Orlando, FL.
The U of M dance team closed the show with their national championship pom routine and opened it with a new jazz routine.
“We did it in about 12 practices, actually,” said Assistant Coach Tia Tumbleson.
Tumbleson has been coaching this team for four years. She was also on the team between 2019-2020. She said they are reusing a routine from a couple of years ago, but made some changes to meet the needs of the competition and the team.
“Within those 12 practices we filled in any gaps, we tweaked, and kind of beefed up some parts and we were able to also clean it, so it’s been kind of quick process, but the team’s been really engaged, and it’s been terrific to work on it,” Tumbleson said.
“It’s been a super fun collaborative experience, and I think it’s been really rewarding that we all got to play a part in creating and doing the dance for everyone,” Tassani said.
Hilton said the team is switching it up to appeal to a wider audience.
“I think it’s easier for people to connect out of joy and happiness. I don’t think everybody always wants to get in that deep place that we brought to the collegiate dance stage this year, so I really think it’s uniting people under this joy for dance and confidence, and you kno,w representation of our school, nation, all of that,” she said.
The team usually prepares for nationals during winter break, but they don’t have that luxury heading into worlds.
“It definitely poses some challenges again with just the timing of them being in school, we had to navigate the mental load that they could process and take, but the team was really engaged and involved in that process,” Tumbleson said.
“It’s definitely tough. It’s tough mentally and physically. A lot of us are a week or two out from finals, so it’s definitely been a grind,” Tassani said.
The team has won 23 national championships and three world championships. When you’re this talented, pressure comes with it, but Hilton said pressure makes her feel comfortable.
“I think we’ve been in this situation before and this whole world experience feels less like a competition and more just like an appreciation for dance and so to be able to just get into a new environment and meet new people, I think will be really impactful for our team,” Hilton said.
And it’s easy to push through when you have the support of thousands of people.
“Dance has struggled to get recognized in a lot of ways throughout college and high school dance, so to just have the support of this crowd here and the support of the state of Minnesota and honestly, I feel like the country I feel like as well has been such an amazing experience,” Tassani said.
“It’s the reason I’m still dancing at this age, and I want to keep dancing after this. It’s the people involved and the way that they support you,” Hilton said.
Performing at the ICU World Championship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the team, and it’s one they don’t take for granted. It’s why they’re proud to represent Team USA and plan to compete with pride.
The team is raising money to help offset some of the costs. They are not an NCAA-sanctioned sport, so fundraisers help with covering training and travel costs.
