MUDT History
The Miami University Dance Team is a nationally competitive Division 1A dance team that serves a dual role on campus as a spirit organization and a competitive entity. The team is currently ranked among the top 3 teams in the United States within the National Dance Alliance (NDA). In addition to national recognition within the dance community, the team strives to maintain a reputation on Miami’s campus as a well-respected and competitive program responsible for igniting spirit and excitement among students and fans.
The Miami Dance Team was first created in 1998 by a small group of dancers brought together by a passion for dance and a love of performance. These young women wanted more than a recreational experience; they envisioned a program that would embody a culture of athleticism and talent that would allow them to share the power of dance with Miami fans. The result of that vision was the creation of a performance-based team that would showcase routines at home men’s and women’s basketball games.
In its early years, the team split its time between practices and basketball games, while constantly striving for personal improvement and team development. In practice, the women embraced a culture of learning and growth that allowed them to pursue excellence in their craft. As the team continued to grow, the women felt compelled to pursue new challenges and soon began inquiring about becoming a competitive team. Through the tenacity of its members, the team joined the National Dance Alliance in 2004, establishing the Miami Dance Team as a nationally competitive team after only two years of existence.
Since 2004, the team has continued to gain recognition both on Miami’s campus and on the national scene. The team’s highest placement was 3rd in 2016. The team has also captured wide attention across Miami’s campus, performing at home football games and various campus events. Most importantly, the team continues to strive to reach its highest potential, maintaining the pursuit of excellence and passion for dance.
While the principles of the Miami Dance Team are constantly re-evaluated in order to develop its members through new challenges, one thing seems to remain the same. These dedicated dancers are constantly collaborating to exceed accomplishments from previous years, and ultimately finding their meaning of DTheart. Some principles, however, seem to remain unchanged.
Competitive Advantage
In the history of the program, Miami has ranked within the Top 5 four times. Since 2007, the Miami Dance Team has continued with strong performances at Nationals, and within that time, NDA has seen an increasingly competitive pool of entrants and a rapid expansion of the skill and difficulty necessary to break the ranks of the prestigious Top 5. For this team, a higher level of fight, skill and drive than has ever been achieved by this program is desired than in order to rank as Top 5.
Valuable Veterans
The importance of the Miami Dance Team is carried by the veterans year to year. Team veterans are crucial because the experience and knowledge of these kinds of members are invaluable. A veteran team member has performed on the nationals stage, giving them a unique understanding of what it takes to get there and a sense of urgency to achieve the team’s goals. Veterans serve as role models for every new dance team member, grow up to be dance team alumni and are never forgotten; we love our DTheart Alumni!!
Development
One of the primary purposes of the team is the development of its team members through advancement of skill and a pursuit of commitment, drive and character. The Miami Dance Team should positively affect each member of the team, giving them a greater sense of themselves and enabling them to become stronger and more skilled dancers. This can be achieved through greater focus on technique, athleticism and skill in addition to personal accountability.
Maintain Presence
“Spirit” can be defined as an attitude or principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling, or action. As dancers, we possess a unique skill set and therefore, will promote spirit in a way unique and fitting to dancers. Our team’s goal is to create school spirit by presenting the most dynamic and entertaining routines as possible. We believe that by offering more intricate and athletic routines we will be contributing more to the overall spirit of games; we believe that our pursuit of Miami spirit should be characterized by a pursuit of excellence and a commitment to constant improvement.
DT Heart
“DT Heart” was built on the hopes and dreams of dancers who wanted more. These dancers looked at other dance programs and thought, ‘we can do that’. In order to make this dream a reality, it was necessary to infuse a high level of dedication, commitment, drive, aggressiveness, consistency, alliance and belief into their base-work. The variables were summed up – thereby giving birth to the phrase, DT Heart.
The Miami Dance Team has shifted from being under the athletic department to a club sport for the 2012-2013 season. However, the Miami Dance Team will continue to support the athletic department and always ready to cheer on their REDHAWKS!