DWTS brings Amateur College Dance Competition!

This week, about 20 million people watched the American edition of Dancing With The Stars, making it the most watched television program of the States. Every season the TV program also stages an Amateur Dance Competition. Next Tuesday, four College Dance Teams will face each other during the program’s first Amateur College Dance Competition.

Up to yesterday (May 5, 2010), ABC News & Television Network had not yet released the names of the four colleges the network had invited for their best delegates to compete against each other. Two of the recently unknown college teams have already stepped forward to announce their appearances on Dancing With The Stars: Purdue University’s Latin & Ballroom Dance Team, and Utah Valley University Ballroom Dance Company. UVU announced of them competing against Rutgers University during the first round. ABC requires the four Amateur Dance Teams to perform a minute-and-a-half Latin Dance Routine, which has to be good enough for them to advance to the final round. Tracy Matz, a member of Purdue University’s team and a Visual Communication & Design Junior, commented on their flight to Hollywood coming Monday, “We’ve been practicing so much. We want to get out there to win and show the country how great the team is.”

For those not familiar with the immensely popular Dance Program: Dancing With The Stars brings celebrities together with professional Ballroom Dancers to compete as Dance Couples against each other. The scores from the judges are combined with the votes from the viewers resulting in the elimination of one couple each week and a champion at the end of the season. This week the Olympic skater Even Lysacek and Pussy Dolls Singer Nicole Scherzinger both ended having the number one position. The article of their exploits can be read here. The extra competition between Amateur Dancers is also an integral part of the American edition of DWTS. A memorable Amateur Competition in the program’s past is the one featuring Child Couples.

ABC asked the Ballroom and Latin Team of Purdue University last week to submit a video of a Dance Routine for the producers to consider for the show. The Dance Coach from Indianapolis Dan Rutherford, who has connections with the producers of the show and helps the Purdue Team on a regular basis, asked them to consider Purdue University’s Dance Squad for competing on DWTS. But the producers set a few rules, including the one which stipulates that the routine must be a Dance Formation, and only undergraduate students can take part. Some graduate students who had already planned to participate saw their plans blown away because of the last rule. Kris Ezra, the team president and majoring in Aeronautics and Astronautics, said, “It has been an emotional roller coaster for us and just so much work since last week. But we are confident we have the best dance.” 

The team of Purdue University has a big challenge, since they are accustomed to dancing in pairs instead of group formations. Kris said, “Instead of having a spotlight on any one couple, we are dancing as a group.” He added, “There are elements that are more specific now.” The founder of the Purdue Club (in 1955) and professor of Industrial Engineering, Yuehwern Yih, said after commenting on the quick spread of the news about this opportunity through the whole campus, “I am so happy, because our team gets the visibility that it deserves.” Yih and her husband Daniel Dilly are the Purdue’s Team Coaches. “Somehow we just never got the attention the attention of being a nationally ranked competition team. I think we will now.”

Purdue University’s Team will have an even bigger challenge after winning next Tuesday’s round. There is a great chance they will have to compete against the Utah Valley University Ballroom Dance Company. The UVU Team, consisting of 10 men and women, is currently second in Formation Dancing according to The United States National Dance Council of America rankings. UVU has already won four championships at the Blackpool Dance Competition in England, and the university also offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Ballroom Dancing. If UVU wins the first round against Rutgers on May 18 they have a great chance of bringing the Championship Title back to Utah after winning the final round planned to take place on May 24.

Dancing With The Stars airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on the American KTVX Channel 4.