Two Years into the Pandemic, Saint Joseph's Dance Team Makes a Comeback

Once a year, the Saint Joseph’s University dance team has the opportunity to take its dance moves from the basketball court to the stage. For four minutes, it’s about them. 

On stage in Orlando among the nation’s best collegiate dancers and spectators, these athletes bring hundreds of hours of practice to its end goal, which is to perform the best routines they can.

The 2021-22 dancers earned fifth place in both pom and hip-hop among Division I universities at Universal Dance Association (UDA) in Florida on Jan. 14. For senior captain Alanna Palombo ’22, it’s not always about the trophy size.

“It just has to be about the work that you put in and knowing that once you stepped off the floor you gave it all you got,” she says. “That's what we did, and I'm really proud of everyone.”

Dancers are excited to compete every year, Palombo says, though this year was especially important after missing last year’s nationals due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I really think it lit a fire under everyone just knowing that people haven't seen us in two years,” she says. “So, it was like, what did we want to show about our program, how did we grow in two years? I can safely say that we showed up and we definitely shocked a lot of people, which was a great feeling.”

Neither freshmen nor sophomores danced at nationals before this January. Still, despite inexperience, Palombo says, the rookie class of eight dancers is likely the most talented the team has ever had.

“You’re doing these 12-hour practices for a month in a row, and as a freshman, you wonder, ‘What am I doing this for, why am I doing this to myself, what is the outcome that everyone on the team wants so badly?’ Once you go to nationals and you experience that feeling, it really is like nothing else,” she says.

And that’s what Palombo wants the Saint Joseph’s community to know — dance doesn’t come easy.

Game Days

The dancers’ number one priority throughout the year, Palombo says, is to act as a spirit squad for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, performing routines for Hawk fans during timeouts and leading chants during key plays. 

“A lot of our practices in the summer and those first months of school are designated to practicing for the games and making sure our timeouts are very clean and very crisp,” she says. 

During game times, the team stands in front of the student section with the cheerleading squad encouraging fans to make noise. Then, when a timeout is called, the dancers are ready to hit the floor and perform either a hip hop, pom or jazz routine. 

Coaches and outside choreographers create these one-minute routines in the summer months before students come to campus. Kiki Pigford ’16, a former Saint Joseph’s dancer and current coach, says that fans have been supportive since she joined the squad 10 years ago, and they continue to bring energy to every performance. 

“Fan support really plays into how engaged dancers can be when they go to perform,” Pigford says. “The energy that they bring can really heighten our performance.”

Such energy, togetherness and spirit takes time and determination, Palombo says. 

“I feel like I constantly hear people saying, ‘Wow, the dance team is so good, you guys are always so together, you always look like having a great time.’ And, you know, it's not because we're naturally born like that,” she says. ‘We've trained to do that and we're so happy to be able to provide that entertainment at the games and for the crowds. I don't want it to go unknown that we work really hard to do that.”

Prepping for Nationals

The team’s transition to nationals preparation happens every year in October, Pigford says.

A choreographer from Los Angeles spends some time with the team, teaching them both the hip-hop and pom routines.

Palombo says the team stays on campus through most of winter break, practicing anywhere between 10 to 13 hours each day. 

“It’s really important that you have that amount of hours because we need everyone to be doing the exact same thing at all times and you can’t really accomplish that unless we do those crazy things that we do,” she says.

And that’s the key to their success, Palombo says — along with a family atmosphere that keeps alumni, including Pigford, coming back to fill coaching roles and to travel to Florida to cheer on their alma mater at nationals.

“Once you're a part of the program, it just becomes ingrained in who you are,” Pigford says. “Members of the team become very close. Once you graduate, you still want to stay close to the program.”

Post-nationals, the dancers take a break from long practices and days spent together. At that point, Palombo says, the athletes are mentally and physically exhausted, but the end is bittersweet.

“It’s always a crazy ride but once it's over everyone misses it so much,” she says.