The University of Delaware Dance Team is a group of Nationally-ranked, technically trained
dancers and student-athletes who have versatility in all styles of dance. The 15 to 18 member team competes annually at the UCA/UDA National Championships in Walt Disney World and performs regularly at home football and basketball games, travels to post-season play with the basketball teams, and also performs at other sporting events as available. In addition, the team also performs at various university and community events such as Homecoming, Parents’ Weekend, variety shows and charity events.
The Dance Team performs jazz, hip hop, and pom style routines with skill and technique attained through years of dance studio experience. The team practices three to four times a week for two to three hours each practice, as well as participation in morning workout sessions two to three times a week in order to maintain optimal fitness.
The Head Dance Team Coach for the University of Delaware Dance Team, Nicole Daliessio-Zehnder, is an alumnus of both the University of Delaware and its Dance Team. She has had years of experience in coaching, consulting and judging in both cheer and dance. As a member of the team, she was both captain and choreographer and competed nationally with many years of success. Upon graduation Nicole continued dancing with several companies, teaching dance classes for local studios and danced for the USBL Valley Dawgs and other venues. She received her Master’s in Counseling in 2003 and currently practices within the field. Nicole shares this quote: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Unknown
The University of Delaware Dance Team’s season begins in August with camp and concludes with the basketball tournament in March. Auditions are held in April to select the following year’s team and are open to all college students and all in high school seniors even if they are wait-listed for admission to the University of Delaware. The four-Time National Champion University of Delaware Dance Team offers an Audition Prep Clinic to junior, senior, and college level dancers who want to learn jazz, pom, hip hop choreography, skills and wish to audition for the Team. Anyone interested should check their website for the date of the next Prep Clinic. Once someone is accepted as a member of the Dance Team, they will receive a partial scholarship that is applied to their tuition.
In Nicole’s opinion, her team is separated from other dance programs because their dancers are truly versatile at a multitude of dance styles and can perform at a very high level for a variety of audiences.
Nicole’s proudest moment has been seeing their hard work payoff year after year at Nationals!
The one thing that the seniors tend to know about dance that the younger dancers still have not learned yet is the true meaning of TEAMwork and the importance of that unity!
Her goals for the team are to always provide the dancers with an enriching and exciting 
addition to their college lives, while continuing to work hard and be successful at Nationals, as well as be fun entertainers at all athletics events and performances.
According to Nicole, her dancers are true student-athletes and work extremely hard to balance both the rigor of academics and the dance team commitment. They are scholars and dancers who excel in competition Nationally and in the classroom! The overall GPA of the team is 3.4!
If you would like more information about the University of Delaware Dance Team visit their website at http://www.udel.edu/danceteam. If you wish to email the team, choose the “Contact us” button on their website and then click on the board member you wish to email. You can also like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and connect with them on Instagram.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Nicole Daliessio-Zehnder of University of Delaware Dance Team.
Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com
