College College dance

[Sterling von Shimmer]

On the off chance that anyone pays attention to college dance, does anyone feel like the current trends in choreography have sort of lost their way? I feel like we’re veering away from skills and more toward “WEIRDNESS, THO.”



I love LSU hip hop, but their (first place) dance last year was “squiggly lines.”



Disclaimer: the dancers above are, obviously, very talented. I just feel like current choreography trends are beneath their skill level.

 

[Caesarea]

College dance has moved away from "dance" into "shake your butt and hips and shoulders." Or, "do three sequences of the exact same pirouetting skill but zero leaps or jumps." Needless to say, I am not a fan of the weirdness.

 

[NJ Coach]

LSU was hip hop. That dance looked hard as hell, and they crushed it. OSU dance also looked extremely difficult. Such minute movement is not easy to make look good with a squad this size. I prefer this to the "classical" choreo of the 80s and 90s. Couldn't watch any of it. At least these squads look like they're being challenged and enjoying themselves.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

LSU was hip hop. That dance looked hard as hell, and they crushed it. OSU dance also looked extremely difficult. Such minute movement is not easy to make look good with a squad this size. I prefer this to the "classical" choreo of the 80s and 90s. Couldn't watch any of it. At least these squads look like they're being challenged and enjoying themselves.

Maybe that’s the issue. There is a definite emphasis on synchronizing minute movements now. I’m just not sure if it should be the crux of an entire routine.

That said, I did grew up on 90’s jazz/hip hop and the idea that a turning switch to the floor was the hardest trick known to man. So my preferences are definitely skewed.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Ultimately I think I’d like to see more choreo like this that emphasizes technique as much as it does athleticism:

 

[quitthedrama]

I watched the top dance teams at NDA Nationals this year and didn't feel the routines have changed much from prior years. I wonder if it is just a trend for UDA teams based on prior year scoresheets?