Left: The Jasper Dancers in 2019 after placing first in NDA’s Hip-Hop division.
MADELINE DONOHUE / COURTESY
Right: The current Manhattan University dance team at Manhattan Madness.
@MANHATTANDANCETEAM / INSTAGRAM
By Elizabeth Kalaj, Web Editor
The Manhattan University dance team has become an integral part of campus over past decades, starting as a dance club and eventually transitioning to a D1 competition team.
The Jasper Dancers have competed with other colleges of various sizes, ranking from first to eleventh in certain categories. Since 2019, the team has competed in both the jazz and hip-hop categories at the National Dance Association (NDA).
In 2016, the Jasper Dancers placed fifth in the hip-hop category for the first time. In 2019, the dancers continued to make history at Manhattan University by placing first in the hip-hop category. The Quadrangle covered the win in an article titled Staying Hungry, The Jasper Dancers Win A National Title in Division I Hip Hop.
Megan Dreher ‘20, former co-captain of the Jasper Dancers, led the team to this victory during her junior year at MU. During this time, Dreher was also the editor-in-chief of The Quadrangle.
Success in past years has created a strong base for the current dancers. This past season, the Jasper Dancers scored third in the hip-hop division at the NDA. Dreher spoke a bit about what the 2019 team focused on to increase success’s longevity.
“We were very focused on technique and growth with all of our dancers,” Dreher said. “I think we tried to focus on attention to detail as a collective. The current coach, Madeline [Donohue], was also on the winning team and appreciated the same culture of details and I am sure she is bringing that into everything they do. I think it comes down to a balance of technique, confidence and creating well-rounded dancers.”
The Jasper Dancers tend to receive measurable support from their team’s alumni. In multiple conversations with the team, this support is always emphasized.
“I think alumni support is so huge because not everybody understands dance team culture and sometimes we do not necessarily get the support we need from others outside of the organization,” Dreher said. “The Jasper Dancers team slogan is ‘you are dancing for the Jasper Dancers of the past, the present and the future’. I think my main takeaway from leading the team was that there is so much history in this team and how they have gotten to where they are with such little backing from the powers at the school, that when we go out and compete obviously we represent the school, but we are also representing the growth of a program that was really built from nothing.”
Additionally in the article written by The Quadrangle in 2019, Taylor Malagone, co-captain of the Jasper Dancers, talked about support from alumni.
“We reached out to more resources for people to come to our practices to help clean the dances and make any necessary changes,” Malagone said in the 2019 article. “It was nice to get feedback from different perspectives, which proved to be beneficial.”
There are clear comparisons between the Jasper Dancer teams in 2019 and 2024. In 2019, the team brought in jazz and won first in hip-hop. In 2024, the team wants to bring back equal emphasis on jazz and hip-hop along with placing third in the NDA.
Christina Irvolino, a current senior and co-captain of the Jasper Dancers, spoke on the alumni connection from a student perspective.
“We have such a good family,” Irvolino said. “At [Manhattan] Madness this year, all of the alumni came and gave us roses. It was so sweet and we are truly such a family that you never leave even after you graduate. Our coach was an alumna and now she and her friends are all coming around. The alumni connection is ten times larger than it has ever been before and it is amazing.”
Irvolino mentioned how her and her fellow captains hope to add to the team’s longevity of success by implementing challenging choreography from early on in the season and to “lead throughout.”
Madeline Donohue ‘22, is the current head coach of the Jasper Dancers and was a sophomore on the team in 2019. She spoke a bit about what the sport of dance entails.
“It is not like playing another sport where you see what another team is doing with their techniques or plays all season,” Donohue said. “You just have to wait all year to see what the team does at nationals, so it is a gamble if people are going to like what we plan and if it portrays our story well.”
Donohue mentioned how unique the Jasper Dancers’ victory was in 2019, as it is rare to go from eleventh to first place within one year. Additionally, she spoke about the Jasper Dancers’ relationship with the jazz division.
“This year, the team expressed that they wanted to give more of an equal split of our attention in terms of jazz and hip hop and I completely agree,” Donohue said. “I feel the 2019 team took the risk of a new category that allows the team now to really climb that ladder and continue to improve in it.”
Throughout Jasper Dancer history, the group has often been underfunded and felt a lack of support from other groups on campus. However, they have always felt that they have benefitted from the coverage they receive from The Quadrangle.
“It is hard to express to people on campus, whether it is friends or strangers, how much work we put in and what we truly do aside from being a spirit squad to other sports teams,” Donohue said. “We also have our own side, and I feel like these raw, organic questions that we’re able to give such detailed answers kind of just shines a light on what we do. We wouldn’t have the voice or the space to express these thoughts otherwise so we are always so grateful to have this time to get the word out there about what we do.”