South Brunswick Dance Team Rocks UDA Nationals in Florida

The South Brunswick Dance Team made township history when they earned four top ten titles at the 2013 United Dance Association National Dance Team Competition in Disney World this February.

"This is the first year we went four for four," said coach Regina Boudwin. 

The team has qualified for nationals each year since 1995, with the exception of 2000, Boudwin explained. However the team has never had both routines for both Varsity and Junior Varsity make it to the finals, let alone place in the top ten. 

"I think over the past couple of years we've started to have a steady build on the success of the year prior. We took just a greater leap than we have in previous years this year," she said. 

Boudwin also credits the team's success to the high level of training each dancer has. 

"We have an exceptional technical group of dancers. We're very lucky to have everyone on the team be studio trained," she said, noting that the training allows the team to execute difficult routines with both passion and polish.

Even so, both teams were shocked by their placement during the award ceremony. Varsity placed tenth for both jazz and pom while Junior Varsity placed fifth in jazz and sixth in pom. 

"It's a very hard feeling to describe. As you hear these other great teams called you think, 'It'll be great if we're up next; it'll be great if we're up next.' Once [the announcers] got to ten, you can't really ask much more than that. To be able to have all routines in the top ten was a dream come true and to be counted among these teams is amazing."

About 300 teams travel from around the country to nationals and each category competes against between 70 and 90 other teams, explained Boudwin.  

"It was no small feat and an incredibly impressive result to add to the history the team," she said. "The girls and gentleman on the team all worked very hard and they were very focused on accomplishing their goal."

Boudwin noted that without the hard work and dedication from each dancer and without the support of the teams' parents and the school's athletic department and administration, none of this would have been possible. 

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