NAU’s dance team finished sixth in Division 1 Hip Hop at the 2013 Dance Team National Championships last weekend at Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort. The team also placed fourth in the World University Dance Team Hip Hop competition.
“Sixth place is a great finish for Division 1 dance, so we are really excited and I am very proud of their work,” said NAU dance coach Cassie Laughlin.
“It was really exciting and quite the accomplishment,” said senior dancer Roshelle Shultz. “Looking at how far we have come from years past, we could not believe we finished in the top 10.”
Once on stage, the squad was given two minutes to dance on national television and in front of the hundreds of schools that came to compete. Still, the dozens of cameras, hundreds of spectators, and the bright lights were not enough to intimidate the well-experienced dance team.
“Every time we step onto the national floor the feeling becomes surreal,” Shultz said. “The place is packed with people with everyone watching you in that moment, and when your adrenaline kicks in, it becomes exciting to experience.”
2013 World University Cheerleading Championships
Dance Team Hip Hop
1. Louisiana State University
2. University of Memphis
3. University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon
4. Northern Arizona University
2013 College Dance Team Championship
Division I Hip Hop
1. Hofstra University
2. Southeastern Louisiana University
3. Saint Joseph’s University
4. University of Delaware
5. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
6. Northern Arizona University
7. Missouri State University
8. St Johns University
9. University of California-Santa Barbara
Watch the team’s performances by searching for Northern Arizona University on the event website.