Once again, the University of Minnesota dance team proved why its name is so prominent in collegiate dancing. At the University Dance Association Nationals, Minnesota won Small Coed Division IA Pom and placed third overall in Jazz, earning their 24th national title.
Trophies alone could not properly convey the significance of this season. In addition to the outcomes, Minnesota became the talk of Nationals because of the narrative they told and the unity they displayed.
Minnesota’s Jazz routine immediately drew attention. Choreographed by UMDT alumnae Ava Wagner and Lauren Busyn, the piece leaned into an intense, dramatic, classic jazz set to “Maybe This Time” from “Cabaret.” This sparked conversation across social media.
Fans were quick to speculate about the song choice and if it was meant to be a political statement, many offering opinions before fully understanding the story being told. With visibility came criticism, but for the dancers, the reaction only reinforced what mattered most.
“I really leaned on my teammates a lot,” freshman Rayna Reid said. “I leaned on Ava. They showed me that I don’t need to listen to the hate. I have my team, that’s all that really matters.”
The team as a whole exhibited that mentality. The dancers turned within, toward trust, a common goal and the connection they had established long before they set foot on the Nationals floor.
For junior Maesi Caes, the outside noise never had the power to shake what the team had created.
“No placement, no person, no comment, can take away what we’ve created, what we’ve built,” Caes said. “I feel like we’re unstoppable. No one or nothing really can tear us down at all.”
That belief showed in how Minnesota performed.
“We have each other,” Caes emphasized. “We’re not out there alone.”
The Nationals experience was especially meaningful for Reid, who earned her first UDA national championship with Minnesota by winning Pom.
“Hearing the University of Minnesota announced as being in first place was completely surreal,” Reid said.
Even that unforgettable moment was framed by something bigger than individual accomplishment. Representing Minnesota is not something that ends when the music stops.
“At the end of the day, no one can take away Minnesota from us,” Reid said. “No one can take away this team. You get on the plane, you’re representing Minnesota, you get off the plane, you’re still representing Minnesota. There’s nothing that can take that feeling away from you.”
Despite national recognition and viral attention, the team remains grounded. For Minnesota, those two minutes performing on the nationals floor are only a fraction of the journey.
“We talk a lot about how it doesn’t define our season,” Caes said. “No matter what happens on the floor because those two minutes are just a small, small snippet of all the work that we’ve put in.”
The process includes long practices, early mornings, mistakes, building trust and always encouraging one another. It is what keeps the team focused on more than just results and gives the program its ability to endure.
“We’re all in this together. One mindset, one love,” Caes said. “It’s not 23 solos, it’s one team. Keeping that in the back of my mind just makes me feel like, okay, I have your back, you have mine.”
This one mindset powered Minnesota’s incredible Nationals run through praise, criticism, pressure and success.
For Reid, seeing the impact beyond the floor has been just as powerful as standing atop the podium.
“It makes me proud that people are looking at me and they see inspiration,” Reid said.
The University of Minnesota Dance Team’s 24th national title will be remembered for their innovative choreography and continued national popularity. But the team will be recognized for something far more lasting this season.
