UDA (Universal Dance Association) nationals will be aired on ESPN on April 9th as well as the 29th.

This year, on February 2nd, Mackenzie Knight and Brittany Gettelfinger ventured to Orlando, Florida to compete in the 2006 UDA Dance Nationals. The two girls are members of Planet Dance Senior All-Stars located in Georgetown, Indiana. There are a variety of girls on this all-star dance team. Some girls are from Floyd Central, and others are from Butler Traditional and Male in Louisville, Kentucky. However, no matter how far the distance, each girl attended practice each day, and they all came together to win two national championships in one year.

For those of you who don’t know much about UDA nationals, here is a brief summary. Nationals are divided into two categories: high school and all-star. Then, there are three divisions of competition: pom, jazz, and hip hop. Each team competing is allowed to compete in two of these three divisions. This year, Planet Dance Senior All-Stars competed in pom and hip hop.

Planet Dance All-Stars is a very prestigious dance studio and is known throughout the country. They repeatedly win nationals year after year. This studio is also home to the best dancers and choreographers in the country. At Planet Dance there are four teams: Minis, Junior Preps, Juniors, and Seniors. The team that Mackenzie and Brittany are members of danced twenty-seven girls at nationals.

Planet Dance Seniors flew down to Orlando on Thursday to find warm and beautiful weather. After arriving at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, each team was spoken to by a UDA official and received various free items. Once everyone found their rooms, the dancers went to sleep in anticipation of the next day and the heated competition.

Friday morning, the beautiful weather had disappeared and turned into a cold, rainy mess. Even though the weather didn’t stop many teams who were enduring the cold and outside dancing, Planet Dance Seniors held their practice on the balcony of the hotel. Fired up and with more spirit than ever, the seniors came ready to dance. After practice, the team got ready and piled on the bus traveling to the Milkhouse.

During warm-ups for hip hop, no one could breathe. It was as if everything was in slow motion. This was the moment when twenty-seven girls’ dreams could come true. “Would the routine hit?” was the number one question running through each girl’s head. Before the Seniors knew it, they were next to go. The girls said a quick prayer and sang their song “We Ready” as a final preparation for the competition. When the announcer declared “Planet Dance Seniors”, the crowd began to chant Planet Dance as the team took the floor. When music played, each girl danced harder than they ever had before. The crowd cheered and cheered and cheered. The routine hit, and they all knew it.

As soon as the girls caught their breath from hip hop, they quickly changed uniforms in order to compete their second dance, pom. After the same preparation, the thing happened. The routine hit and the crowd went crazy. The girls hoped and prayed the judges enjoyed their performance as much as the crowd.

Each member of Planet Dance Seniors was almost more nervous when awards came along than they were before competing. Every team huddled together and held hands awaiting their division. The anticipation was immense when the senior pom awards were being announced. When the announcer proclaimed the third and second place team Planet was still standing. They knew they had won it. “Your senior all-star pom national champion is Planet Dance!” The crowd, along with every member of the team, was tremendously happy.

No one would have ever guessed that it would happen again, but it did. Planet Dance Seniors were the hip hop national champions as well!