April marks one year since my first show with the SBU Dance Team. A lot has happened since Another Bonaventure Story, and it has been worth every second. There are several different aspects of Dance Team that make me fall back in love with it every day.
The first aspect I love is the family aspect. Being on Dance Team has shown me a type of love I hadn’t seen before. I had never fallen in love with a team environment before, that is until I stepped into the Butler basement for the first time. I felt so out of place taking my first few steps in. Everyone was so close with each other, and here I am showing up in the middle of the year. I felt like I was going to be judged for every move I made — stick out like a sore thumb.
Boy, was I wrong.
I was immediately welcomed with open arms. It almost didn’t seem real how much my teammates cared about me both inside and outside of dance. It was a pinch-me moment for sure and still is sometimes.
During high school, I was part of a team where we didn’t care about each other. Instead of competing together, we found ourselves competing against each other. I spent countless hours trying to impress my coach that wouldn’t have cared if I stopped showing up to practices. I was miserable.
However, I have yet to feel that on Dance Team. My captains and managers make sure that everyone is included in every aspect. I’m not competing against my teammates in any way. I’m not miserable.
The other aspect I love about Dance Team is that it’s not just about dancing. We have several bonding events throughout the semester planned by our managers Ellie and Jamie. My favorite bonding event is our trip to Mt. Irenaeus every semester. We went on the trip two weeks ago, and I think it was my favorite trip to the mountain ever.
The structure was business as usual: leave campus (caravan style) at 4 p.m., do introductions, walk the grounds, eat a yummy dinner, and end the night in the chapel.
This Mountain trip, however, felt different. During our chapel time, we were very emotional. It was some “lasts” for our seniors, and we felt it. As one of my captains Keke was reading a letter written by an anonymous dance team member, we started to burst into tears one by one.
I’m not going to expose too much of what was said, but what this dancer said stuck with me. They talked about how Dance Team saved them in a way. Until then, I didn’t realize how much I was saved either.
After joining Dance Team, I had 30 new best friends, and that number grew over the last two semesters. The people on the team aren’t just my friends inside of Butler Basement, but they are a support system all around campus. My dance teammates are people I can turn to when I’m in a time of need, and they never hesitate to listen and offer comfort.
The last aspect about Dance Team I love is, well, the dancing! Growing up, I was a cheerleader, so dancing wasn’t too foreign of a concept to me, but it was still quite new. I ended up falling in love with every style of dance offered. Even our shows are such big hitters in my book. Our show this semester is so much fun and full of laughs, I can’t wait to perform it for family and friends.
Joining Dance Team was one of the best decisions I have made after coming to Bonaventure. I love all of my teammates and can’t wait for what the future holds for us.
I wouldn’t trade it for the world.