Varsity Blues: The Drama Surrounding the 2024 UDA Collegiate Dance Championships
Why I’m Writing About This:
This past weekend, the dance industry went abuzz with the fierce displays of athleticism showcased at the 2024 Universal Dance Associations’s (UDA) Collegiate Dance Championships at the Disney’s Wild World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.
While you could pay $29.99 to stream it on Varsity TV, we didn’t have to because it infiltrated social media faster than you could blink.
In almost real-time, my phone was getting messages, asking:
“what do you think about this?”
“what do you know about that?”
“did you hear this?”
“is this really real?”
“why would they do that?”
Because of my position on healthy versus harmful competition (reflected in both of my books Trash the Trophies and Handle the Horrible), I’m often asked these types of questions.
However…
This conversation has lasted for days.
It keeps evolving.
And, it’s become polarized.
Instead of weighing in, I just want to share conversations, musings, and thoughts for us to all consider.
The Key Players:
The key players are in the realm of Division 1A Jazz Competition at the UDA College Nationals.
Specifically, I want to focus on 2 routines:
(1) The Ohio State University Dance Team Jazz
(2) The University of Minnesota Dance Team Jazz
Both of these routines are well-executed, and the dancers should be applauded for technical precision. They put in some serious rehearsal time, and it shows.
Make sure you watch both routines before reading on.
The Formula:
One thing I can appreciate about the Varsity pathway (which differs from standard dance competitions) is that there are standards, regulations, and expectations set (and enforced) in regards to adjudication. You can read them here.
The art is secondary to the skill, which is why you will notice similarities in all of the pieces.
If I was choreographing creating a piece for this circuit, I’d prioritize:
Formula
Precision
Creative Concept
The formula pieces ruffles some feathers over the artistry component. But, at the end of the day, it is what it is, and we know what to expect…
The Controversey:
There’s a clear division over whether Ohio or Minnesota should have won this particuular category.
This led to the conversation about the choreographer(s) of each piece.
In most environments, choreographers receive very public and transparent credits, but apparently, that is not the case in the world of UDA.
Nearly instantly, people started sharing that Travis Wall choreographed the Ohio State piece.
There are varying ethical questions surrounding this choice.
I tried to find confirmation of the choreographer(s); however, it is not listed anywhere, which is interesting since Ohio State lists previous choreographers on other Instagram posts… (their 2023 routine lists Shannon Mather as a choreographer)
Then, there’s also been conversation about choreographic plagiarism (inspiration?) and/or credit going to the third segment of this piece, which was performed at a Break the Floor Competition, Radix, several years ago.
Finally, there’s also the question as to whether or not UDA enforced their own rules and points deductions as they are listed, specifically in regards to using costume pieces as props (see p. 6 here). Did Ohio State receive these point deductions, or not?
Meanwhile:
While some continue thinking about the Ohio State Choreography situation, others are captivated with the sheer athleticism of the Minnesota team, specifically a turn series that features an perfectly timed aerial cartwheel back into the turn series.
We soon get a viral Instagram post (which I think was well-intentioned about work ethic) targeting dance studio students asking: “do you think they {the Minnesota team} skipped ballet class at their home studio growing up? did they skip rehearsals? did they take days off because they “didn’t feel like it”?
This felt a little aggressive, but it was widely shared.
Lingering Takeaways:
I don’t have all of the answers here,
With college programming, I presume participants are 18+, so they are willingly participating in this environment as adults.
But, as dance educators and parents, I think we still have to think about how this programming influences the culture and standards surrounding our industry.
A few questions to consider:
Do you associate a complex, clean turn series with strong technique?
If a routine is considered “revolutionary”, are ethics irrelevant?
For this level of athleticism/ team commitment, are the participants able to have a balanced collegiate experience?
How do the skills for this experience last beyond the seasons on a college dance team?
Should we view dancers that don’t aspire to be a part of this as “less than”?
How do the teams balance the concept of individuality within the team?
I often present and ask the question:
Are Dance Competitions Disrupting the Power and Progress of Dance Education?
I feel like all of these questions fit into that equation.
We no longer compete, but I can feel and sense the impact on all facets of the industry.
What are your thoughts?
I’d love to hear from you.