University of Minnesota dance team sells out Williams Arena ahead of 2025 Nationals
MINNEAPOLIS — Friday night was the annual 'Best of the Best Showcase' hosted by the University of Minnesota Dance team. Originally created 23 years ago as a fundraiser for the team and to bring other high school and college teams together to perform.
With UDA College Dance Nationals one week away, this was the dress rehearsal for several Minnesota college teams getting ready to compete.
The U of M asked that the audience not record or share videos of the dances to prevent soiling any surprises before competing, so WCCO is not showing much of the dances on camera either.
Outside of the performances at the showcase, the crowd was just as impressive. Williams Arena was sold out with over 8,000 tickets sold.
"How cool is the state of Minnesota...that we show up for dance this way?" said Amanda Gaines, to the sold out crowd. She's the head coach of the U of M dance team.
"The gratitude for all our fans that continue to come out and support us is incredible," said Lindsay Brown, the event organizer, who has been part of the showcase since it started 23 years ago. She was once a dancer on the U of M team and continues to raise funds and awareness for this team.
Brown said when the showcase started, only 11 teams performed in front of a small audience. Friday night's audience saw 44 teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska perform.
"It's a real sport and people work really hard," said Ella Turnball, a dancer for Hudson High School, "Look at this...it's crazy," said said, pointing to the crowd.
These young dancers credit the U of M dance team for helping grow the sport the love in such a meaningful way.
"I feel like the 'Dream On' routine really showed the difficulty of dance and how hard it is to be a dancer. I think it's forgotten how much we work hard, just like any other sport," said Elise Bailey, dancer at Hudson High School.
WCCO is traveling to Orlando, Florida to cover UDA Nationals and will bring you exclusive coverage of the competition on Jan. 18 and 19.
