Titans in Motion dance group hopes to expand
Eugene Blue
Issue date: 3/18/09 Section: Features
By Eugene Blue
VN Special Writer
The University of Detroit Mercy's Dance Team, also known as Titans in Motion, is made up of a group of young women who love to dance.
Titans in Motion performs at both the women's and men's basketball games during timeouts and at halftime. Their routines are rehearsed during their practices, which are held three times a week. The group also usually meets an hour or so before games start to go over their dances for that day.
The women try to have two or three dances prepared for a game. They draw on a wide variety of dances ranging from hip-hop to jazz to even a little bit of ballet.
"We have a wide audience we need to appeal to so we try to incorporate a little bit of everything to please everyone," said Captain Nafisah McClendon.
Trying to think of creative routines to please the crowd can be a challenge in itself. However, the team has other obstacles as well.
"Getting everyone to hit the same move at the same time isn't as easy as it may look," said sophomore Kristen Burns. "Sometimes we have to go over a particular move five or six times until we get it right."
When the Titans in Motion are not on center court performing, they are on the sideline doing small routines to the music the pep band plays. The person sitting on the end of the row will start off what they call a "ripple." A ripple is when someone begins doing a simple four-count move. Eventually, the rest of the team will follow.
On occasion, the dance team will perform a routine to the band's music. The dance team refers to these routines as "bands" and tries not to perform them too often because they'd rather do routines to recorded music.
Every team has its strengths and weaknesses and the dance team is no different. One of the constant struggles the team faces is a lack of motivation - or time - from some members.
Erin Carter, a sophomore, said that some girls on the team don't - or aren't able to - give it their all. She said that some girls miss practices and are late for games.
The lack of motivation shows in some performances, she said.
Occasional negative comments from the audience don't help either.
In the midst of those challenges, members of the group are keeping their heads up and looking to the future. Currently, the team is searching for new members.
They are looking for people who have a true passion for dance and who will bring fresh ideas to the team. At least seven more young women are being sought to create a full squad.
VN Special Writer
The University of Detroit Mercy's Dance Team, also known as Titans in Motion, is made up of a group of young women who love to dance.
Titans in Motion performs at both the women's and men's basketball games during timeouts and at halftime. Their routines are rehearsed during their practices, which are held three times a week. The group also usually meets an hour or so before games start to go over their dances for that day.
The women try to have two or three dances prepared for a game. They draw on a wide variety of dances ranging from hip-hop to jazz to even a little bit of ballet.
"We have a wide audience we need to appeal to so we try to incorporate a little bit of everything to please everyone," said Captain Nafisah McClendon.
Trying to think of creative routines to please the crowd can be a challenge in itself. However, the team has other obstacles as well.
"Getting everyone to hit the same move at the same time isn't as easy as it may look," said sophomore Kristen Burns. "Sometimes we have to go over a particular move five or six times until we get it right."
When the Titans in Motion are not on center court performing, they are on the sideline doing small routines to the music the pep band plays. The person sitting on the end of the row will start off what they call a "ripple." A ripple is when someone begins doing a simple four-count move. Eventually, the rest of the team will follow.
On occasion, the dance team will perform a routine to the band's music. The dance team refers to these routines as "bands" and tries not to perform them too often because they'd rather do routines to recorded music.
Every team has its strengths and weaknesses and the dance team is no different. One of the constant struggles the team faces is a lack of motivation - or time - from some members.
Erin Carter, a sophomore, said that some girls on the team don't - or aren't able to - give it their all. She said that some girls miss practices and are late for games.
The lack of motivation shows in some performances, she said.
Occasional negative comments from the audience don't help either.
In the midst of those challenges, members of the group are keeping their heads up and looking to the future. Currently, the team is searching for new members.
They are looking for people who have a true passion for dance and who will bring fresh ideas to the team. At least seven more young women are being sought to create a full squad.
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