Fans of the university dance teams impatiently anticipate the revenge match of the 1A division between the University of Minnesota and the Ohio State University during the UDA Nationals of this year. Last year, U of M took the first time in division 1A Pom and Osu finished second; And in the 1a jazz division, Osu took the first time and U of M ranked second.
For the Ellie and Ava Wagner sisters, this year's nationals will take nearly two decades of competition both with and against the other. Ellie, an elderly person at the OSU, will take the carpet for the last time with his teammates and against his sister, Ava, a second year student at U of M.
The Wagner Sisters began their training at the age of 3 and 2, respectively, at the Larkin Dance Studio in Maplewood, Minnesota. The backgrounds of the founder of the studio, Ellie and Ava, qualified the dance studio as their “first house” and spent hours there every week. Finally, they both started to compete, mainly together in groups or duo, and only once against each other as soloists.
“She beat me, by only half a point,” said Ava.
“I don't remember literally,” admits Ellie.
They even contributed as a duet in the third season of “World of Dance”, where they ranked third.
But competitiveness has never taken their relationship into account, they say, and, in fact, dance brought them closer as sisters. “We did everything together,” said Ava. “We led to school at 6 am together, driving to dance right after. We were together 24/7. “
The first to obtain her graduate diploma, Ellie did not see himself joining a university dance team at the start. “I always said to myself:” I'm going to go to the “or” I'm going to go to New York “.” But when the Pandemic Covid interrupted the first year of Ellie high school, her mother encouraged him to consider the university while the entertainment industry was on break. Once she applied to Osu and met the dance team, she knew it was the place for her. “The culture of the team was great, and they danced at such an elite level,” she says.
Although he watched his sister prosper at the OSU, Ava was also late to decide to join a dance team. The OSU began to recruit her at the start of her career in high school (many major dance teams, including U of M and OSU, have gone to the recruitment of dancers rather than welcoming auditions). Like her sister, Ava also dreamed of moving to Los Angeles to continue her dance career. “Suddenly in my last year, something has changed and I said to myself:” I can't leave the house. I don't feel ready to go to Los Angeles to try to sail all of this by myself. “” She was recruited by U of M and OSU and finally chose U of M, who left her and Ellie in rival dance teams for the first time in their lives.
“It was a difficult period for me at the beginning, her being so far,” explains Ava, “but I knew she loved (OSU), and what made me feel so well was that she had such great teammates on which to rely.”
The sisters also had to adapt to the unique requests for the choreography of the dance team, such as the extra-rapid turn sequences and precise training. “I always say that these are the two most difficult minutes of my life,” says Ellie. “And there is no way to train for that in addition to doing so, again and again.”
Ava, on the other hand, is based on his love of hip hop by dancing Pom. “Obviously, you have to learn movements and the right technique, but you must have this punch, this pop and this fight that hip hop a.”
Last year, social media, in particular Tiktok, amplified UDA nationals and led the dancers throughout the country commenting on competition, trying the shift sequences and recreating costumes. The rivalry perceived between the OSU and the U of M was particularly highlighted. In the period before this year's event, many dancers, including Ellie and Ava, published on Tiktok. The sisters see the attention of social media and school rivalry as being very fun. “The buzz is such a good thing for all university dance teams,” said Ava. “We love how the recognition dance teams get Tiktok. We believe that dance teams should get this recognition and more. Our main goal (to make tiktoks) is to make people excited and want to watch UDA and support dance teams. ”
The greatest supporters of the brothers and sisters – their parents – will be there in the stands to support the two teams. “My father sent SMS a month ago, saying,” We must understand our outfits, “says Ellie. “Our parents have another for each day of the competition. And if they have to cross (the Wide World of Sports Complex) to see us both, that's what they will do.”
In the eyes of Ellie and Ava, the real winners are their parents. “They said last year, he had been there perfectly for them,” said Ava. “Because the two universities have won.”
