‘It’s just been incredible’: U of M Dance Team feeling the love after performance goes viral
It was a memorable weekend for the University of Minnesota Dance Team, which took the internet by storm and won some hardware at a national competition.
For the second year in a row, the team took home the Pom title at the 2024 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championships in Orlando, Fla. Yet it was the team’s jazz performance that caught attention online.
The Gophers danced to Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” and while the team came in second in the competition, the performance went viral, racking up millions of views on social media.
“It is one of those songs I think that resonates with a lot of people,” said Tia Tumbleson, an assistant coach who helped choreograph the performance.
Many were in shock and awe of the team’s turns and spins, with some calling the routine a master class on dance and performance. Tumbleson says it was actually a tribute to the 2004 dance team that used the song in its iconic performance.
“It was the 20th anniversary. We kind of looked at each other, ‘Is this crazy? Can we do this? How are people going to receive it?'” Tumbleson said. “So we explained it to our group and seniors and they were like, “Yes, let’s do it.”
Despite falling just short of the title, the team couldn’t be beat when it came to wowing the world.
“It was totally worth it because we did this creative and innovative thing that people have never heard of,” Tumbleson said. “Dancers and non-dancers, how hard that is. The love we’ve gotten from everybody, I can hardly speak on it. It’s just been incredible.”