2019 UCA and UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship

Consistency, Confidence, Success: Penn State University Lionettes

Penn State University is headed to UDA College Nationals for the second year in a row competing in the Jazz category!

Jan 18, 2019 by Varsity TV

Consistency, Confidence, Success: Penn State University Lionettes

Penn State University is headed to nationals for the second year in a row competing in the Jazz category!

The Lionette dance team prides themselves on tradition and representing their school the best they can. You’ll hear their classic chant “We Are Penn State” repeated three times in a row before they hit the stage. The team has been using this particular chant for decades since the team’s creation back in 1995.

Tradition and consistency are what they have stuck with and it brought them a top 10 placement Finals after their first year competing with UDA. This year, they are back, stronger than ever, and are prepared to showcase their most difficult and intriguing routine to date.

Division IA Jazz is one of the toughest categories at UDA College Nationals. For over 10 years, only two different universities took the top spot—the University of Minnesota and the University of Tennessee. The Ohio State University broke that trend in 2018 taking home the championship title. Penn State has been motivated by these teams and other DIA programs for many years and they’re ready to take on the competition. Coach Julie Berardi tells us more.

“Our team was ready for a new challenge! The DIA Jazz teams at UDA have always served as an inspiration for our team and we have admired their talent and abilities. Last year I felt that we were ready to join their ranks and compete at the highest level! This challenge has caused our team to grow exponentially and we are excited to continue that growth at UDA and among the most talented dancers in the country.”

Penn State has some tricks, literally, to help them showcase a powerful routine. You’ll see the full team executing kip ups, aerial cartwheels, and multiple challenging and swift turn sequences. The movement and performance did not go without much thought. They hope to equally move the judges and the crowd with intense emotional quality and technique.

The team cleans their routine down to each dancer’s fingertip and performs in small groups to maintain accurate timing. Berardi, who is assisted by Kayla Weaver, believes that “the details set teams apart, so we work hard to get everyone in that mindset, focusing on precision and dancing ‘as one.’”

Captain Maggie Crombie told us about how she has helped the dancers instill confidence in their skills. “All of our skills are hitting, and we just want everyone to own that and be proud of how much we’ve accomplished in our journey,” she explained. They’ve been rehearsing as if each practice performance is the real thing and have confidence in every portion of the performance including their walk on and walk off from the stage.

Crombie talks about the moment where the team truly comes together to push through to the finale of the routine. We’ll hear a musical dynamic change where the emotion changes from a struggle to hope. She says, “it’s a crucial moment followed by a difficult set of skills, but because of the lyrics the team uses it to energize us throughout the rest of the routine!”

[Watch] Penn State's 2018 Jazz Routine!

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Although you’ll witness this beautiful Jazz routine, you might not know too much else about the team. Coach Berardi filled us in about more on the team’s involvement in the school and community.

The Lionettes are involved in several events for Penn State’s Annual Dance Marathon (the largest student-run philanthropy in the world) including the Family Carnival, Thon 5k, Athlete Pep Rally and as committee members and Thon captains. They also love to be involved in community events as much as possible such as the Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome, United Way Day of Caring and the Center County Women’s Resource Center Holiday Event to name a few.

Watch these PSU dancers continue to make the Penn State name known in Div. lA Jazz division with an unforgettable routine at the 2019 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship.

The Lionettes take the floor in Semi-Finals this Saturday at 4:08 PM in the HP Field House.

Written By: Megan Miles