The Odessa College Blues dance team went to the National Dance Alliance Collegiate National Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla., and came home with a large trophy.
Coach Belle Gutierrez brought 17 dancers with her and 14 performed and there are 20 on the team. They won the hip-hop championship.
Going into her eighth year with Odessa College, Gutierrez spent the first two years as a student coach and then became the full-fledged coach after she earned her degree.
Gutierrez said teams have to qualify to compete at the National Dance Alliance.
“The best of the best in each division of each state compete to receive a bid. If they receive a bid, they can compete at Daytona so there were three from Texas junior colleges. It was Blinn, McLennan and Odessa. We represented the junior colleges of Texas,” Gutierrez said.
There were 355 teams and 8,000 participants from across the country and 20,000 spectators.
“So you can imagine the overwhelming nerves these girls felt. It’s funny because there’s a trash can on one end of the stage and one on the other because the nerves were so high. Everyone was sick the entire weekend because they were so nervous,” Gutierrez said.
“… It’s actually pretty standard. Trash cans were not there for trash; mostly for nerves. And we all understood that. Yes. And let me tell you, my team did utilize them …,” she added.
The team competed in the junior college division and won the championship in hip-hop.
“You can compete in team dance, pom, jazz and hip-hop. We competed in jazz and hip-hop. For the past six years, with the exception of COVID, we won the hip-hop division at the ADTS (American Dance/Drill Team) dance competition. It was kind of nerve-wracking going from that competition where people know we win hip-hop (to) going to this new competition and the expectation that we were going to win hip-hop was huge for us. It was a lot of pressure. You could tell in the girls that the pressure was definitely on. But overall, we pushed and made it happen for this team,” Gutierrez said.
She added that she wants to take her team back next year.
“… Since I started here as a student, it’s been a dream. That’s like the ultimate goal is to get to the Beach. Those college students don’t get to the Beach unless they win, so that’s the incentive,” Gutierrez said. “If you do, then you take your trophy, you take your big banner and you run into the ocean, it’s like a big moment. The work is definitely worth it. I’m nervous about it, but I’m absolutely ready. Although it was difficult and there was a lot to learn from the competition and it did take a lot of us emotionally and physically, I’m completely ready to go for it again.”
During the normal season, the team practices Monday through Thursday for two and a half hours every day. Then during the competitive season, they practice Monday through Friday with Friday being their long day where they practice from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“… Dance is one of those things that we don’t really have an off-season. We have summer and that is our training season. At the end of our summer, we have our camp, which is what qualifies us for competition at the end of the year. If we make it, then we know for sure we can gear up for that competition at the end of the year. … Then after summer training, we go into fall which is games — volleyball, basketball, community events — all those things,” Gutierrez said. “It doesn’t stop. Then we go into January after winter break and it’s still region basketball. We travel with the basketball team and it leaves a very small margin for us to really focus on just dance, at which point we’re almost on the way to Florida a month away and that’s when we have to really, really put in the time.”
As soon as they get back, they have try-outs and the process starts all over again.
“… We’re currently in recruiting and scouting … and we do have all of our community events working at the schools doing pep rallies. That’s what we’re doing right now and getting ready for summer training,” Gutierrez said.
The team has a video submission audition format.
“We also have a way you can set up a private tryout with me personally. We also do scouting and recruitment starting as early as they hit high school. We start watching their dance competitions, talking to their coaches. Today (April 27), that’s what I’m actually going to do is go to Lubbock, talk to a few coaches. I have a few prospective dancers that I’m looking at,” she added.
Gutierrez said she likes to look for dancers locally because she’s a local herself.
“I am a local that danced in this area and between Permian and OHS (Odessa High School) going to those competitions, those are the dance teams that win. Those are the dance teams that are competitive and it’s a really great opportunity to pull from those schools that are the ones that are winning. Also I feel like on a different level, I can relate to them because (I) can understand a little bit about their backgrounds … growing up in Odessa. What better way to honor the community than giving a person from our actual community a chance at an education, a chance at a dance life after high school,” she added.
Anyssah Holland and Katelyn Carrasco have both been in OC Blues for two years.
At first, Holland said it was surreal to be at the contest and her first time as a collegiate athlete. She has been dancing for 18 years.
“You dream of going to this competition for years, literally years. Getting to actually step on that stage, not only the one that’s indoors, but the band shell as well, is a dream come true. That was the best thing that I’ve ever experienced in my life dancing for so long and I loved every single second of it. I just absorbed as much of it as much of it as I could,” Holland said.
She said she would advise others who want to get to succeed to never give up on what they want to do with their lives.
“… I was torn down multiple times, told I couldn’t do it, told I would never be able to do it. I would never be on that caliber. And I pushed, persevered. I worked inside and outside of the studio. I kept pushing for what I wanted and I would really tell them never give up. Don’t listen to people because who cares what they think, it’s what you want and what you think of yourself,” Holland said.
She noted that there is a special bond between the team members.
“… It’s a different kind of bond. You can be on any other team like basketball, volleyball, softball and all that and you’re close, but this is a different level because you have to trust each other to lift you, carry you, throw you, push you throughout the whole entire routine, and it’s just a different level of bond. You’re almost sisters in a way,” Holland said.
Carrasco, who has been dancing since she was 3 years old, said the win meant a lot to the squad.
“I was very nervous. I was nervous to mess up and stuff, so it was a lot of pressure, but it was worth it,” she said.
For other young women who want to achieve this goal, Carrasco said to go for it.
“… And don’t give up because it’s an amazing opportunity and the feeling of being on that stage, in front of those people, around the same people that understand what you’re doing it’s a good feeling,” she added.
Carrasco said the program gives you a lot of opportunities not only in dance, but academically.
“Our coach pushes us really hard to be successful with our academics and I recently got an award for my academics,” she added.
