The Carolina Girls dance team will move on to semifinals in national competition

Every January, collegiate dance teams from across the country compete in UDA College Nationals in Orlando, Fla. This year, the Carolina Girls, UNC’s dance team, made program history by placing top five in the game day category and making it to semifinals in the jazz category. 

Sophomore Amber Wilson said dancing at UDA was unlike anything she experienced before dancing with the Carolina Girls. She said that she and the team started feeling disappointed when the awards for game day were announced because they thought they didn’t move on to the top eight teams.

“And then they announced us for fifth, and I just remember everybody in our section screams. It was so exciting because it was just us literally making history right then and there,” she said.

As for the jazz category, Wilson said that the team wasn’t expecting to move on, thinking their performance wasn’t as strong as when they debuted it at the UNC women’s basketball game against Duke. When Wilson heard the team’s name called to move on to semifinals, she was in shock.

“I started tearing up because there was no way that all of our hard work had paid off,” she said. “It hadn’t been our best one, and yet we still managed to do it and progress which, once again, it was history part two on the same day.”

It was Wilson’s birthday the next day, and she said her birthday wish came true when they got to perform on stage again.

First-year Olivia Averett felt a similar rush to Wilson hearing that their team moved on in both categories. She said her first year at UDA was very different to her background in competition dance and it has made her want to work harder as a dancer.

“I honestly cannot wait to do it again because it was such a cool experience and it was nothing like I’ve ever done before, and I think that’s why I loved it so much,” she said.

While Gabriella Romano, a junior, knows what to expect preparing for UDA, she said it doesn’t make it any easier. She said that the days in December right before the competition are long due to how much the team practices, but she didn’t feel as nervous going into UDA this year because of how prepared they were.

This is only the fourth year the Carolina Girls have performed at UDA. Romano said seeing the growth of the team from her first year to this year was very rewarding and she felt that they fit in this year.

She also said that the recognition was nice because dance is not always recognized as a sport and the team is putting in so much work behind the scenes that doesn’t just involve dancing at UNC football and basketball games.

“So basically, placing so well and being able to announce that and bring more attention to the program and to the team felt so special,” she said. “I just feel really proud knowing that I’m doing my part and also just paving the path for incoming girls, as well.”

Junior Brenna Maloney echoed Romano’s thoughts. She said that it is a privilege to wear the Carolina Girls uniform and represent UNC, and she hopes that their UDA success this year will open more doors to resources for them as a team. 

Maloney said that they want to make finals and semifinals again, and this year gives her a lot of confidence in her team going into next year.

“I think we’ve all realized that when we lean on each other, we do so much better,” she said.

Wilson said that while they were more of an underdog and don’t have the same facilities that some of the more well-known collegiate dance programs do, their hard work and bond as a team are paying off.

“We are going to work harder to get more resources, and we are going to work harder just because we can and continue improving,” she said. “And I think just knowing that it is possible for us to do well, and we have done well now, that it just makes us want it even more the next time.”

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