On Saturday, Sept. 21 during halftime at the football game, St. Olaf students were given the privilege of watching the St. Olaf Dance Team perform. The team was wonderful together, with their dance moves in a perfectly unified rhythm; the whole routine was refreshing and stunning to watch. Most of the awe of the performance came from the fact that the team was so connected and together. It takes a truly skilled team of dancers to create a piece that makes every one of their dancers both shine on their own and as part of a full ensemble.
The performance reflect many of the elements of the St. Olaf Dance Team explained to me in my interview with one of its captains, Hallie Hogenson ’25. She said that the team was a super fun and close knit group, with a big sister, little sister environment that made everyone feel included, and I could see those values shining through as they danced. They filled that field with so much spirit from the moment they stepped on it, and that can’t just be created in one day. It takes weeks to make an environment where people feel safe enough to do something as vulnerable as dance.
This team seems to do that in every way. From their practices, where they spend time talking to each other about not only dance, but life, to their team dinners, which create a strong bond on and off the dance floor. This team is a place of no judgment whether you’re a first time dancer, or have been dancing all your life, this dance team is ready to have you.
These dancers not only work hard to form strong relationships with each other, but also to create dance numbers that will leave a lasting impression on both St. Olaf students and national judges, where they compete in the spring. They do this by starting practice early in the fall, with their gold and black team. They create a halftime number together, practicing in the studio and then out on the field. Once they are done with that show, the separate teams start preparing for nationals and concert performances. They work three to four times a week for three hours a day, and all this hard work pays off in the end, because they have done exceptional in Nationals year after year.
