Boston University Dance Team

This season the Boston University Dance Team was walking into a brand new nationals experience. Although the team competes at the NDA National Collegiate Championship in Daytona Beach, FL every April this is the first time the team competed a Jazz routine. The BUDT placed 5th in a very competitive Division I Jazz category and could not be more proud to have achieved a top 5 placement in our debut!  The girls are honored to have been the first to compete in Jazz for the BUDT. It is extremely rewarding to maintain the program’s position as a top Division 1 dance team given this transition. The week’s achievements stem from a full year of hard work and dedication. We wrap up our 2018-2019 season feeling so fulfilled and reminded that the work is always worth it!

We could not have had such success at Nationals without our amazing choreography! Working with Innovate Choreo for our routine this year was an absolute dream. Karl Mundt and Kia Hill collaborated to give the BUDT breathtaking choreography which combined the strength and power our team has always showcased while maintaining the elegance of lyrical jazz movement. We were very lucky to have Kia come work with the team for a weekend shortly before Nationals where she helped us make some tweaks and focus on performance quality. She is such a positive light and inspired all of our dancers to find the dynamics in every moment of the dance. We all moved with more confidence and her influence translated to our performance on stage. We were equally fortunate to spend some time with Karl down in Daytona. His expertise and motivation was a huge asset in our final practices before our prelim performance. He helped everyone find an empowering headspace to get ready for competition. He preaches delivering the best possible execution when it counts and the team made that our mantra for the week. It was so encouraging to have Karl in our practice floor sessions immediately before performing. It is not always the case that we get to perform for our choreographer and knowing he was in the audience really pushed everyone to make him proud. We can’t thank Karl and Kia enough for their influence on our season! The BUDT is honored to be part of the Innovate Choreo family.

Along with preparing for a new performance category, the BUDT started the season with some changes in leadership. Taylor Littlefield, assistant coach since fall of 2015, took over the position of head coach this season and brought her sister Maddy Cate on as assistant coach! The sisters are both University of South Carolina Dance Team alumni. For Taylor, balancing another full time job and her pregnancy with coaching the team was no small task. We cannot thank her enough for her commitment and the profound impact she has made on the program! With a smaller coaching staff than the program has had in past years, captain Nina Maroudas (QST ’19) had to assume a larger role. Being a senior fiercely dedicated to her team, Nina was willing to step up and take on whatever would be necessary to have a successful final season. The collaboration between Taylor and Nina inside and outside of practice was essential to the productivity of the team all season long. At Nationals, the team was lucky to have the assistance of our incredible alumni. The growth we achieved in the practices leading up to competition would not have been possible without their guidance! Although it was sad not to have Taylor there with us it was extra motivation for the girls to make her proud. On behalf of the entire team we want to congratulate Taylor for adding a soon-to-be baby boy to the BUDT family! The BUDT is so grateful for the strong leadership we had this season.

As hard as practices, workouts, and time management between academics and dance may get throughout the year, the overwhelming love and commitment the girls have for each other is what keeps them going. Nationals is by far the best example of this camaraderie and is particularly evident in how much the girls are able improve their performance in just a few short days in Daytona Beach, FL. A pure love for dance and the impact it has had on each of the girls’ lives inspired the routine. At Nationals the girls focused on why they love to dance and the emotion they could bring to their performance to make that translate to their audience and judges. Regardless of placement, being able to do what you love with your best friends to showcase a full year of diligent hard work is the greatest reward there is. Overcoming so many changes this season the BUDT is extremely proud and excited for what the future has in store! 

Not only do the girls support one another, they have a huge support system ranging from alumni, to friends, to family who truly help make all of our success possible. The love and encouragement the team receives from this network each year has been essential to how far we’ve come. If you are interested in joining the BUDT family or have any questions about our team, be sure to email us at budt@bu.edu!