SHU Dance Teams Record a Pair of Top 3 Finishes at CNDA Nationals
4/22/2021 12:00:00 AM | General, Dance
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Sacred Heart University dance team has been amongst the nation's best every year at the College National Dance Alliance national championships, but this year SHU outdid itself. The Pioneers placed second in the hip hop category and third in jazz.
The second-place finish in hip hop is the team's highest placing at nationals in any event. What made the feat so special in the jazz category was it was the first time the Pioneers competed in the Division 1 jazz event.
"I have had the privilege of seeing this team evolve and grow for the last 10 years," head coach Reina Van Florcke said. "As a member of the team, we placed third for the team performance category in 2013 and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. However, as a coach, watching these 22 amazing dancers come together all year and place third for jazz and second for hip hop made me overwhelmingly proud."
Van Florcke is in her second season as head coach after four years as an assistant to Deirdre Hennessey.
Like all of Sacred Heart's teams, the dance squad has been affected by COVID-19. The 2020 competition was canceled just 26 days before the championships were to begin. In a normal year, the team performs at home basketball and football games, but was limited to just two football games this year.
The team normally practices in the Pitt Center dance studio, but that had to be converted into locker room space for visiting teams. The Pioneers wore masks during practice and had to be tested at least once a week.
Of the 22 members of this year's team, only seven had traveled to nationals in the past. Van Florcke said senior captains Nicole DiPietro and Nicolette Muscarella stepped up as leaders to ensure the team was improving during practice, but also forming a bond outside of practice to create the type of chemistry that is needed to succeed in the high-stress environment of nationals.
While Van Florcke will have to replace the six seniors in the line-up, the experience this year's team gained will make the Pioneers national contenders for years to come.
Players Mentioned
