The Villanova Dance team trailblazed a new era in the success of its program at the 2026 Universal Dance Association (UDA) Nationals held in Orlando, FL, from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18.
At Nationals, Villanova Dance earned a sixth-place finish in the Game Day Routine category and a ninth-place finish in the Jazz Routine category, marking the first time in program history that it has placed in the top 10 for both categories.
It is the third time in the Villanova Dance team’s history that it has advanced to the Jazz Routine finals, ending a four-year hiatus since its last Jazz Routine finals appearance in 2022. It is the first time that the team has reached the finals of the Game Day Routine category, which began in 2023.
Though categories like the Game Day Routine might suggest a copy and paste from courtside and sideline performances, competing at Nationals requires a new level of preparation. The team underwent intensive rehearsal to nail the routines. Returning from Winter Break almost two weeks earlier than other Villanova students, the team held two practices daily before heading south to Orlando. Moreover, its early return served as a complement to the additional Nationals practices beginning at the start of the school year, amid an intensive football and basketball performance season.
For the Dance team, this preparation is important because the annual competition gives it a special opportunity to perform for those it doesn’t typically get the chance to, itself.
“Once we get to Nationals, we’re surrounded by incredible dancers from all over the country, and that puts us in a different competitive mindset that we’re not really in during the rest of the season,” senior captain Victoria Fusaro explained. “At basketball or football, we’re performing for the audience and trying to hype up the school. Nationals is more about our dance team in itself and representing Villanova as our own team.”
As a captain, Fusaro played an important part in uniting the team. With the two routines possessing very distinctive energies, Fusaro led her team as it tapped into different performing mindsets.
“Game Day is very high energy, and Jazz is very emotional,” Fusaro explained. “So, as a leader on the team, it was my job to keep the team grounded and united, while also being able to guide the energy switch between the dances and get the team riled up in two different ways.”
During dance routines, it is standard to have select members on the roster off the mat as alternates in case of injury. However, this year at Nationals, the team had the unique opportunity for all of its members to be represented in competition. During the Game Day Routine, the entirety of Villanova Dance performed, making the experience particularly rewarding for Fusaro in her senior season.
“This team has been so influential to my Villanova experience,” Fusaro shared. “I remember as a freshman feeling like I had gained 24 sisters and best friends, so it’s even more special when you get to dance with every single member of your team, and I’m so proud of everyone.”
The sister-like bond among the dancers is one of the many strengths contributing to the team’s success. During the competition, the team had the opportunity to enjoy bonding activities, such as a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, rented by the UDA for all competing dancers. It’s these fun, lighthearted moments that contribute to the trust within the group while they perform.
Before each performance, the group holds hands and forms a circle. The captains and seniors take the time to motivate the team and give it the last burst of energy that it needs before going on the stage.
“It’s a good reminder that we can lean on each other, dance for each other, and put our hearts and souls onto the floor,” Fusaro described. “That just goes to show what kind of family we’ve created here at Villanova, and it’s something that’s incredibly special to me.”
Coming off the high of their Nationals run, there’s a great deal of energy buzzing about the team, now that it can boast being a top-10 program in the country.
At Villanova, the team returns to an overwhelmingly comfortable space where it performs in front of the fans that make the campus feel like home. With the Big East tournament and the possibility of a basketball appearance in the NCAA tournament in March, the Dance team is more prepared than ever.
