Alongside class acts, fraternity and sorority acts and host and hostess performances, dance teams returns to the Sing Song stage this year.

The student-led dance team will comprise two sub-sections based on dance experience and performance level. They were split into an elite group and an all-team group, each led by co-captains Rylee Dawson, junior elementary education major from Victorville, California, and Marilyn Allen, junior social work major from Hillsborough, North Carolina.

“The elite team is more stylized with contemporary and hip hop and the full team does simpler dance styles,” Dawson said.

Every sorority and fraternity must have three to five representatives audition for the team.

This allows for versatile representation within the teams. Practices started shortly after the tryout in November, with three in the fall semester and every weekend in the spring semester. The all-team practiced once every weekend and the elite team practice twice every weekend.

The dance team accompanies Sing Song’s host and hostess in between the acts and for the finale. They aim to give fun and energetic performances, giving time for acts to prepare for their spotlight on stage. They will have four performances, one in the first act and three in the second act.

With the complication of Moody construction, Sing Song has moved to the expo center this year.

“This year, there have been a few stage differences and last-minute changes with the staging; being adaptable was the important skill throughout this,” Dawson said.

With the effect of COVID-19, Sing Song has not operated normally within the last year. Due to the precautions and mandates around this previous year’s

Sing Song, the dance team did not participate. First- year dance team participant Ashley Jacobson, sophomore elementary education major from Austin, said the teams are eager to make a comeback to the Sing Song stage.

“I’m just excited to dance in front of an audience again,” Jacobson said. “I have not danced since high school, so this opportunity is very surreal.”