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Nicole Mikkelson

Sandy, Utah

Dance Education

Leadership

Suu Waukeenyans Dance Team

When the Suu Dance Team was cut in 2013, I was devastated. I didn't want to leave Suu, but I still wanted to dance. This was when I decided, along with a friend, that we wanted to bring back the team as a club. My goal was to keep the dance team going. I was going to hold auditions, choreograph the dances, and make sure they were performance ready. The team was going to be my responsibility because we had no other coach or any kind of funding to rely on. 

As I found out soon enough there was a lot more to running a college dance team then just that. I had to work with the athletic department and schedule our performances for football and basketball games. I had to cut and edit my own music. I had to find a source of funding and organize our own fundraisers.  My job also included contacting other dance team coaches around the state asking for advice and input. I had to order new costumes that would work for every game. If anything went good or bad, I was responsible.  

            I have been dancing my whole life. If I am not dancing, I am teaching dance. This was why I couldn't give up, I had worked so hard my whole life to make it on a collegiate level dance team. This had always been a goal of mine and I wasn't going to let it go that easily. This team soon enough had my full attention and my full heart involved. I always wanted to coach a dance team but I never thought it would be a college dance team, and I never thought it would happen so soon.

This entire project has had many challenges. We often have dancers quit each year because it takes so much time commitment, and we don't get much reward for what we do. Another challenge for me was trying to make everyone happy, I learned quickly that this is impossible. Whether it was dancers, viewers, or authoritative figures, I just had to take everything with a grain of salt and find a way to learn to be better. Dancing and coaching at the same time was also hard because you can't be in two places at once. If I'm dancing, I can't help my dancers improve. If I'm watching, I don't get to practice myself. 

         I would like to believe that I have benefited each and every girl that has been on the dance team for the last four years. Without this dance team, so many talented dancers wouldn't have been able to keep dancing after high school. I have given them the opportunity to grow as performers and dancers. these dancers have also been able to choreograph for the team. This is something that these dancers will be able to look back on forever. I would also like to believe that fans at Suu sporting events benefited from watching our team dance. I tried to make each dance fresh and entertaining for them.  

"A three year project has completely turned my life upside down, in a good way".
"Sometimes it takes a terrible thing to happen, for you to realize how much something means to you."