Sequin tops sparkled under the glistening lights of the dance studio as 20 girls, pom poms in hands and jazz shoes laced tight, danced to an energizing mix of pop, jazz and hip-hop. Their effort and energy has paid off — for the first time in its history, the Northeastern University Dance Team, or NUDT, earned first place at the National Dance Alliance’s College Nationals and notched second in the Dance Grand Championship.  

NUDT is built on dedication, hard work and community. The dancers practice four days a week, with additional lifting and strength training sessions, plus a 90-minute ballet class once a month. 

In addition to group practices, dancers must stay up to date with every piece of choreography. That means knowing 8 to 10 game day routines as well as two nationals routines.

Olivia Aragon, a fourth-year architecture major, was named captain in the fall after three years as a member. Her time management skills, organization and discipline have allowed her to combine her studies with the high demands of the club, she said. 

“I think the only way to get through it is to be super organized and be very diligent about how you spend your time,” she said. “It’s really important that all the dancers get all of their homework, schoolwork or co-op work done before they enter our practices.”

Anoushka Aboral is a second-year computer science major who joined last fall. As a new member of the team, she quickly realized that organization was crucial to balance her complex major with the team’s rigorous workouts. She finds it important to “keep ourselves accountable” with academic work.

In order to cope with work stress and to strengthen team bonding, the team has a tradition of collective study sessions at Snell Library.

“We have a fun thing going on in our group chat where somebody says, ‘Oh, who is in Snell Library this morning,’ and then we’ll all go and study in the morning [or] just whenever anybody has time,” Aboral said. 

Practicing four days a week is a big time commitment, but other varsity clubs under the National Dance Alliance, or NDA, workout as much as five to seven days weekly. The NCAA does not regulate the sport, which means that there are no requirements for how a school sponsors its team.  

The resources available for each school, such as equipment, access to facilities and trips are handled differently depending on budget and club members. As a result, many teams face substantial disadvantages when competing against other schools, such as Ohio State University or the University of Minnesota, that grant scholarships and fully fund their teams. 

NUDT handles those difficulties by working extra hard outside of the studio. 

Nicole Vicino, a Northeastern alumna and head coach of the team for the past seven years, has extensive experience running Northeastern’s dance program. She says the key is making sure dancers stay up to date with the choreography so they come to their limited practice time prepared.

Thanks to the team’s preparation, NUDT managed to secure first place in the team performance category at nationals with a score of 90.625 out of 100, surpassing larger state schools like Idaho State University, Eastern Kentucky University and Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Huskies’ strong finish qualified the team for April’s USA Dance Grand Championship for the first time in history April 10 to 12. 

In the grand championship, winners of each division face off, and the best team claims the overall title. At the start of each season, the NDA organizes six divisions, sorting each school according to the NCAA division of its basketball or football program. With Northeastern’s basketball teams competing in Division I, the dance team competes against other D1 schools. 

Last spring, Northeastern came close to the trophy, finishing in second place.

Aboral recalls last year’s accomplishments at nationals and the grand championship as “a huge honor.”

“That win got us super excited, and we had a great time competing in the grand championships, just for ourselves, just because we knew that we were on top of the world,” she said. 

Aragon highlighted the foundational work team members had to put in in order to reach nationals at their best level. That mindset is built in everyday practices and NDA’s qualification camp: the gateway to Nationals. 

The qualifying camp is a three-day course held each August where every team performs different dances: one with the school’s theme song — Northeastern’s song is “The Fight Song” — and another with a routine given ahead of time. Earning the coveted gold bid at the camp gives teams priority registration and greater discounts.

“We have a pretty rigorous summer programming that we all follow and keep each other accountable for in order to be very prepared for camp,” Aragon said. 

On top of its own competitions, NUDT performs during each basketball home game. 

“It’s a lot of requirements for the team, but it’s something that’s so core to our mission as a dance team,” Vicino said. “We’re really proud to be part of our school’s athletic program, and it’s great to be able to dance at all the basketball games.”

After Aragon graduates this spring, she hopes to audition for professional dance teams. Last summer, she experienced what it’s like to be part of a special roster. 

“I had a great opportunity to travel with three other seniors and our coach to Las Vegas,” she said. “We were able to dance alongside a lot of professional dance teams, such as the Celtics, the Dolphins and the Patriots.”

After winning nationals, NUDT wanted to commemorate its title by purchasing traditional championship rings. However, Northeastern didn’t grant the team sufficient funds to pay the cost for the rings, so it has opened a fundraiser on Husky Starter to speed up the process. 

“The competition and putting out our best routines, hiring the best choreographers, getting the best music, is something that’s really important to the students,” Vicino said. 

Aboral hopes to follow in Aragon’s footsteps as a leader. Her motto is to “keep pushing through because the work is worth it.” Although the goal is always to keep winning, there are lessons and experiences that are more valuable, she said.

“Of course, the goal is always a championship win at the end of every season, but as long as we all keep pushing ourselves and building each other up at all times, just cultivating that positive team mindset is something that I want to continue going forward,” Aboral said.