It’s time to make college dance an NCAA sport
The University of St. Thomas Dance Team after winning their first national title in 2006.
The 2024 College Dance Team National Championships took place earlier this month, and thanks to the talent of the University of Minnesota Dance Team, people took notice. The U of M’s technical and artistic jazz routine went viral on TikTok. Both local and national news outlets picked up their story. It’s been an exciting time for everyone in the dance community to see the sport get long-overdue recognition. We hope the momentum doesn’t die out. Because college dance isn’t an official National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) sport, and it deserves to be.
What gives me expertise on this subject? I was a member of the University of St. Thomas Dance Team from 2003-2006 (pictured above) – co-captain of the first team to win a national title. I was the head coach of the Hamline University Dance Team from 2008-2013, and I built the program. I recognize I’ve been out of the dance world for a decade, but I know from my friends who are involved that circumstances haven’t changed for many college teams.
“So what if dance isn’t an NCAA sport?” outsiders may ask. “If it’s never been a sport, why should it be one now?” Collegiate dance teams don’t have access to the basic resources other athletics teams do. And dancers across the country suffer because of it.
Disclosure before we dive in: These are my own experiences and opinions; I do not speak for any other dancers, coaches or university officials.
Current state
If the NCAA doesn’t manage collegiate dance, who does? Varsity, a for-profit company that has a monopoly on every aspect of dance and cheer teams, from high school to college and all-star. Their dance division is Universal Dance Association (UDA)*. Varsity** does a lot of things well, but it’s a far cry from the scope and prestige of the NCAA.
Because dance isn’t an official NCCA sport, most college athletics departments refuse to include dance among their teams. Instead, dance get shoved under departments such as campus life or student clubs. Considering the athleticism, teamwork and dedication that dance takes, it’s an insult to exclude dancers from college athletics. Here are some reasons why.
Staffing
To say that college dance teams are understaffed is an understatement. Most teams have one coach; it’s a luxury to have paid assistant coaches. Some teams don’t have a coach and are led by student captains.
Students led Hamline’s dance program before I arrived. When I took the coaching job, I quickly learned I was the only Hamline head coach who wasn’t a full-time, salaried employee. That’s right – I was considered “part time” – even though I was held to many of the same standards as other head coaches. My responsibilities included overseeing the program, practices, budget, fundraising, recruiting, youth clinic and more. I held a regular, full-time communications job during the day, and I spent nights and weekends coaching dance. I used most of my 10 annual vacation days from my day job to attend dance events such as camp in the summer and competitions in the winter. I did this for the love of dance, not money. Hamline paid me about $4,000 a year before taxes.
I spent five years building Hamline’s program into a competitive one. I wanted to continue. But I was burnt out from working two jobs. I also wanted to focus more on my personal life, including getting married and having a child. I couldn’t do that, coach dance and hold a corporate career simultaneously. After I left Hamline, the program fell apart. It was the university’s failure – not the dancers. To all the Hamline dancers I let down, I’m so sorry. I’m also sorry your university didn’t see enough value in its dance program to adequately support it.
Coaches aren’t the only staffing shortages dance programs face. They often don’t have access to medical staff. Get injured at practice? Better call an ambulance or have a teammate drive you to the clinic/hospital. Because the athletics trainers aren’t available to you – even though they’re in the same building. Same goes for strength and conditioning coaches. Sure, you’re allowed to use the campus weight room, just like any other student. But you need to find, hire and pay for your own trainer.
Facilities
Few college dance teams have their own dedicated practice space on campus. That’s a shame, because the sport requires almost no equipment – just a large room with a wood or Marley floor, mirrors and a sound system. Instead of a proper studio, dancers often practice wherever they can find space, whether it’s a gym, field house or cafeteria.
When I danced at St. Thomas, we practiced in the third-floor gym of the athletics building. Not the main-level gym where sports like basketball practiced. Nope – a gym that typically hosted recreational sports. The gym was so old and neglected that nails would regularly come loose from the floor. I remember cutting my feet on them and seeing blood streak across the wood. It happened so often that we kept a hammer in the gym to push down loose nails when they popped up. St. Thomas built a beautiful new athletics facility shortly after I graduated; they didn’t include a dedicated space for their champion dance team.
The situation wasn’t much better at Hamline. Although the university built a new athletics complex shortly before my arrival, it didn’t have a dance studio. The main gym was reserved for “real” sports like volleyball. I had to find practice space wherever I could. There was a small dance studio on campus, but it belonged to the arts department, and they wouldn’t allow us to use it. I was able to book the student center ballroom, but dancers often injured themselves on the hard tile floor. We practiced in a racquetball court that was far too small – and noisy – for our team of nearly 20 dancers. Once a week, we were permitted to practice in the fieldhouse. But if an outdoor sport such as baseball or softball got rained out, they got priority. They’d just waltz in and set up their equipment around us without asking if it was OK. We had to find somewhere else to practice – or end the practice early. When I expressed my frustration to the athletics director at the time, Jason Verdugo, he told me I needed to be more “flexible.” I doubt any other Hamline head coach would have tolerated the same situation.
Transportation
Most college athletes don’t think twice about getting bussed or flown to games and competitions. For dance teams, it’s not guaranteed. Neither St. Thomas nor Hamline provided transportation for their dance teams during my tenure. We organized carpools where dancers and coaches would drive themselves. Never mind the liability or safety risks. And we paid for our own gas.
I recall asking Hamline for a bus rental to take the team to college dance camp six hours away in Milwaukee. The university denied my request due to cost. Instead, we took the Megabus with strangers – and the dancers paid for their own tickets.
The only time I recall St. Thomas paying for dance team transportation was if they asked dancers to cheer on another sport at an NCAA tournament. The football team made it to the DIII championship game? Great! Send some dancers to cheer them on. But only the captains/seniors, because sending the full dance team would cost too much.
Attire
College sports require uniforms, and dance is no exception. But it’s rare for the school to cover the cost. When I danced at St. Thomas, I paid for the uniforms I wore to on-campus events including football games, basketball games and pep rallies. I also paid for my warm-ups, bag, shoes, tights and more. The same was true at Hamline – although they offered a uniform stipend for the team every four years. Sure, that helped with the cost of on-campus uniforms. But it didn’t include camp/practice wear or specialized costumes for competitions – ones that cost hundreds of dollars and had to be replaced every year.
Recognition
The failure of the NCAA to include dance as a sport leads to a lack of respect – among college students, staff and alumni.
During my freshman year, I remember getting ready to dance during halftime of a St. Thomas football game – something we did at every home game. Shortly before halftime, our coach learned that our performance had been cut short because of a ceremony to recognize the softball team’s recent national championship. They’d receive their rings during halftime. Don’t get me wrong – the softball team deserved the recognition they got. But for the athletics staff to not tell us about the change in plans until last minute was disrespectful. We’d spent weeks preparing our halftime routine and the entire morning rehearsing it.
Perhaps the university would recognize us when we won our first national title? After our historic win, we asked where we could display our championship trophy on campus. The athletics display case outside of the main gym? No – that was reserved for trophies from “real” sports. After much prodding, the athletics staff told us we could put our trophy in a small case on the second floor of the athletics building. It didn’t fit. With nowhere else to display our trophy, one of the dancers took it home to her parents’ house. Did we at least get a ring ceremony like the softball team did? No. We got our championship rings (which we paid for) at a team dinner with no other members of the university present. The only mention of our championship was a short article on the university’s website.
To date, the St. Thomas Dance Team has won 18 national titles – more than any other team in university history. Yet we weren’t invited to attend the annual athletics banquet – or eligible for the university’s athletics hall of fame. Why? Because the university didn’t consider dance a sport.
Regardless of this lack of respect, the St. Thomas dance team continues. Dancing on the sidelines at Tommie football and basketball games. Performing at student and alumni events on campus. Volunteering at community events such as the Twin Cities Marathon. But when they get their chance to compete at nationals, only their family and friends show up.
The future
Nearly 7,000 Minnesota students compete in high school dance each year. Thousands more dance at acclaimed Twin Cities studios such as Larkin Dance Studio, Northern Force Dance Company and Summit Dance Shoppe. If nothing changes, those dancers who are talented enough to make a collegiate team may be disappointed to learn how much less their program is valued than others on campus.
Dancers deserve better. They aren’t asking for anything extravagant – they want the same resources and respect their fellow student athletes receive. That won’t happen until the NCAA recognizes dance as an official sport. The transition doesn’t have to be swift. The NCAA could partner with UDA on a gradual transition that works for both parties. But change is long overdue.
Addendum
*Disclosure: I’m a former Varsity/UDA employee. I was a UDA instructor in 2005.
**For a candid look at Varsity, I recommend watching season 1 of the Netflix series “Cheer”.
To keep this post focused, I didn’t get into how college dance programs are structured and the innerworkings of what they do. But trust me, it’s a lot.
College cheer also deserves to be a sport. Cheerleading programs face many of the same challenges dance programs do.