Here's how the Washburn Dancing Blues team placed at national championships

Weeks after excelling at a national competition, the Washburn Dancing Blues are already preparing for the next dance season.

In mid-April, the Dancing Blues attended the College Classic National Championship in Orlando, Florida. The team competed in the Division II categories with more than 10 other teams. They placed second in pom, third in hip hop and fourth in jazz.

"I would say that I'm so proud of our team," dance coach Grace Ellrich said. "They worked hard and they really stuck together as a team all year long."

Washburn Dancing Blues coach excited about team's growth

This was the first full year Ellrich coached the team. She began working for Washburn in January 2023.

“Grace has an incredible way of lifting up her athletes and helping them achieve more than they thought they were capable of achieving," campus spirit coordinator Tia Benyshek said in a written statement. "She has created a supportive and goal-driven atmosphere that has encouraged the team to win awards against some tough competition.”

Ellrich said she has enjoyed building the team from the ground up this season.

"I think we're getting better and better every year, and I'm just really excited to see the growth of the team this year," she said.

The dance team performs a variety of genres and Ellrich said she enjoys the versatility.

"I think that's what makes dance team so fun, that one game we're doing a hip hop routine, the next game we're doing jazz, the next time, we're doing a pom," Ellrich said. "So I think that is what keeps it interesting and keeps it fun. We try and rotate the routines a lot, and so that. That keeps it exciting."

While this season has finished, Ellrich is already preparing for next season. She held auditions in late April for next season's team. Every dancer was required to audition whether they were on the team. Ellrich said she can give out 24 scholarships, but she plans on signing up 18-20 dancers.

Behind the scenes of the Washburn Dancing Blues

The dance team works at least 12 hours a week and meets every weekday.

"So we definitely put in hard work all year, whether that's for football, for basketball, for learning our nationals routines," dance team member Ellie Gaschen said. "Then we spend months and months cleaning those routines, making them perfect for nationals. It's just a really fun experience seeing where we started this dance and then where we ended up on the nationals floor."

The team meets for weight training, rehearsals and nutrition/health education regularly.

Gaschen said the biggest lesson she's learned while being on the team the past two years has been how to work with others.

"I've learned that sometimes people don't always have the same opinions or outlooks on things, but that doesn't mean that you can't be friends," she said. "That doesn't mean that you can't cooperate and still succeed as a team."

Another important part of competitive dancing is performing in unison and looking cohesive. This is done through constant practice of the routines so they move in unison.

Making sure the dancers look the same while performing also entails having similar makeup looks, Ellrich said. The girls are required to wear false eyelashes and Urban Decay's red lipstick in the shade "Unbreakable."

"I'm a big fan of red lipstick," Ellrich said. "I think when you're specifically on a stage or the football field, you get washed out by either stage lights or being really far away from the crowd. "So having that red lipstick really accentuates your mouth. When you're smiling and you're making different faces, you can really see it."

The team also does bonding activities outside of the dance studio. Gaschen said she looks forward to cultivating those relationships next season.

Next season begins with summer practices for dance team

The new team will practice throughout the summer to prepare for the new season. Members typically have already spent years learning dance, so the main focus is on learning the routines and not on technique.

The dance team will perform throughout the 2024-2025 school year at sporting and school events.

Ellrich said the team intends to compete at nationals again next year and she hopes the team can get a first-place ranking.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Washburn Dancing Blues team places at national competition in Florida