University of Minnesota dance team adds a national championship

The name was called, and it was official: the University of Minnesota dance team had officially defended its national title.

The team added to its overflowing trophy case Sunday night, taking home the pom title at the Universal Dance Association College Nationals in Orlando. The U finished second in the jazz competition.

“It means so much,” coach Amanda Gaines said by phone. “Our whole routine was really about the legacy of what it takes to be Minnesota, so to be able to take home a title with a routine that’s near and dear to our hearts is really special.”

Their routine featured a voiceover that ran through five lessons about the tradition of Minnesota dance: Heritage is your foundation, energy is nothing without control, power in silence, unity is our strength, and unlock the spirit within.

The Gophers have won the pom title three years in a row, a category named for the inclusion of traditional pom poms in the routine.

The national championships are the highest level of competition for college dance teams — and is a stage the Gophers have dominated for as long as many can remember. Their win Sunday was their 23rd national championship, cementing their status as the most successful college dance program in the country.

With nearly 160,000 Instagram followers and numerous followers far beyond the Minnesota sphere, the U’s dance team has taken on celebrity status in the dance community.

“It’s kind of wild and the dancers handle it so well,” Gaines said of the team’s popularity. “It’s sweet as a coach to see them stretching and just walking around the venue where younger dancers, and even dancers from other teams, come up and want to take pictures and talk to them and just get to know them better . . . And they all handle it with such grace.”