“We don’t get workouts. We don’t get nutrition. We don’t get any of that,” senior Dani O’Keefe, a team captain, said. “And that’s kinda messed up". (Courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics)
Fevers burned and energy drained as the Wake Forest Dance Team’s jazz routine failed to advance past prelims at the Universal Dance Association College Dance Nationals (UDA) on Jan. 17.
With some teammates sidelined and others struggling through illness, their usual sharpness wavered. As the music pulsed and the crowd roared, the dancers hit their opening formation— but something was off.
“Competitive athletes are what makes great people, because they have a goal that they saw at the end, that they worked so hard for,” Head Coach Christy Creson emphasized the importance of the journey over the result.
The nation’s most elite college dance teams gather each year at UDA Nationals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, FL. The event hosts powerhouse programs like the University of Minnesota and Louisiana State University — teams with deep-rooted dominance in the dance world. Wake Forest’s Dance Team was the smallest school competing in Division 1A.
Leading up to the competition, the team was met with several roadblocks, which ultimately led to its inability to advance to the semifinals. As the dancers took the stage, more than half were sick. There were also various last-minute costume, dance and music changes in the weeks prior. By the end of the weekend, even Volunteer Assistant Coach and former member of the team, Sarah Binkley, had the flu.
“The girls who were already feeling sick were just dragging,” Binkley said. “I didn’t know if they would even make it to the jazz performance that night. It was looking really rough.”
Last year, the Wake Forest Dance Team reached the semifinals in the competitive Jazz category, marking a major milestone for the program. While this year’s team secured a second-place finish in the Game Day Live category, their Jazz routine failed to advance past preliminaries.
This year’s team featured 13 new dancers, including 11 freshmen. Many had to adjust to the physical and technical demands of college-level dance and juggle the stress of sorority recruitment — which overlapped with their preparation for Nationals.
Senior Hannah Brown, the only fourth-year dancer on the team, noted that the team dynamic shifted as underclassmen outnumbered veterans.
“There’s a power in numbers,” Brown said. “And there’s definitely been a culture shift.”
Creson explained the opportunity for growth that can come out of training a team made up of predominantly underclassmen.
“At one point your team will be young, and you use that as your learning year,” Creson said. “So when teams say, ‘this was the year we grew,’ it’s usually when you have a very young team. I think this year, they’ve just been dealt a lot of tough hands.”
Sophomore dancer Lauren Bettuchi also expressed the overwhelming impact that recruitment had on the team in the week leading up to the competition.
“The most stressful events for people on the dance team are probably going to be rush and UDA, and they happen to be on the same week,” Bettuchi said.
Sorority recruitment (commonly referred to as “rush”) at Wake is an intense, four-day process that demands long hours of conversations with sorority members, leaving many potential new members physically and emotionally drained. With 60% of women at Wake Forest involved in Greek life, the pressure to make a decision that will shape the next four years is significant. The stress of getting asked back to preferred sororities — combined with the reality that a sorority choice, or opting out entirely, heavily influences social life on campus — can feel overwhelming, especially for dancers already managing late-night practices ahead of UDA Nationals.
Adding to the instability was a coaching transition — one of the team’s two head coaches departed last year, leaving Creson to adjust to a new leadership dynamic. Assistant Coach Anne Forbes’ experience at Wake lies primarily with the Gold Cheer team, which places more emphasis on performances at various sporting events, rather than competitions. While Forbes brings positive energy and enthusiasm, the shift has left coaches stretched thin.
In 2024, Wake Forest’s Dance Team returned to UDA Nationals for the first time since 2016. While the team has competed sporadically in the past, its focus on competition is a recent development. During the 2021–2022 school year, Creson collaborated with the athletic department to rebrand the team as the “Dazzling Deacs,” shifting their focus from primarily performing at sporting events to becoming a more competitive program.
The past three years have been an uphill battle, led by Creson, to get more institutional support. Creson secured an athletic trainer for the team in 2022, but gaps remain between the dance team and other athletic teams. Although the dance team is Division 1, they do not have access to strength trainers or the athletes-only gym at Wake Forest.
“We don’t get workouts. We don’t get nutrition. We don’t get any of that,” senior Dani O’Keefe, a team captain, said. “And that’s kinda messed up.”
The program lacks a dedicated academic advisor, offers no priority registration for classes, and provides limited access to mental health resources — challenges that compound during the demanding, year-round commitment of performing for five collegiate sports teams. The team typically trains three times a week for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, excluding team meetings and film sessions. In competition season, practices often run late, and unofficial rehearsals run by students are common.
“We’re the only athletes on campus that go all year long,” Binkley said. “We don’t have an offseason. We cover football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball—on top of competing at the highest level.”
The team trains on a volleyball court instead of Marley flooring, the standard for dance competitions. Without mirrors, they rely heavily on film study to clean their routines. While some athletes receive specialized strength training, the dancers have no dedicated lifting coach or structured workouts tailored to their needs.
Despite these obstacles, Creson remains optimistic about the young program’s future.
“Every year, we keep moving forward,” Creson said. “We’re building something that lasts and these dancers are setting the foundation for future success. The commitment they show despite all these challenges is what makes this team special.”
Despite the setbacks during the national competition, the team has made strides as a competitive team, with dancers now being actively recruited. Some members, like sophomore transfer Jessy Velez, specifically sought out Wake’s dance team because of its growing reputation.
While their Jazz performance didn’t reach the semifinals, the team left Orlando determined to return stronger.
“They put blood, sweat, and tears into this for just two minutes on stage,” Creson said. “And maybe you get to do it again, maybe you don’t. There’s no ‘next game’ for us. But they still showed up and they’ll be back.”