Lakers, D-Squad has done it again! Your Laker dancers spent the last week in Orlando, Florida, competing at Dance Team Union (DTU) Nationals. This competition is widely known to be one of the largest and most competitive dance events open to high school students and Laker Dance qualified for the past ?? years. By any standard, qualification alone is an incredible accomplishment but Laker Dance not only participates in this prestigious competition every year but also places exceptionally well in the final national rankings of the routines that they bring to Florida.
Led by widely acclaimed head coach Haley DuLong, the 2025-2026 Laker Dance team consists of 5 freshmen, 6 sophomores, 5 juniors and 10 seniors. This year, the team brought not one, not two, not three, but four whole routines to DTU Nationals. For those of you unsure, that’s a lot of routines.
The dancers completed a touchingly beautiful Jazz routine to Alex Warren’s Eternity, and a Hip Hop to a bold mashup with jaw dropping special effects. Both of these routines earned the team a trip to the national semifinals. Although these two routines didn’t place nationally, they still possess incredible artistic value. “Our Jazz really tells our story as a team and shows how lucky we are to have 25 sisters on the floor with us,” stated senior captain Maddi Dale. She noted that the routine has frequently left viewers and dancers in tears due to its raw emotional connection and significance within the team.
In addition to Jazz and Hip Hop, the team also competed in Gameday, where they placed 6th nationally in the large varsity division. Last but certainly not least the dancers performed a
Phantom of the Opera themed Pom routine that sent them all the way to finals, where they placed 14th in the large varsity category. The routine was completely stunning, featuring partner stunts, never-ending turns, and glittering hooded costumes; it is no surprise they placed so high in the nation. “It pushed our team technically and performance wise and has pushed the boundaries of Pom,” explained senior captain Carys Cassidy, relaying the work put into perfecting her personal favorite routine.
Not only did their Pom routine place extremely high, but it also earned the Laker Dancers the DTU Be Bold award. This award is only given to one in the entire competition so the fact that Lake Oswego was able to take it home is nothing short of spectacular. “It means the judges found our routine to be very memorable… they said they will remember [it] for a long time,” said senior captain Madison Cobb, gushing over her team and their hard work in this routine.
While other teams may have taken a breath and relaxed after qualifying for nationals, Laker Dance’s proactive schedule simply got more rigorous. 11.5 hours of practice is the norm for D-Squad and during nationals, that seems like a nice break for the dancers. The team had 12 hours of practice the weekend before finals and over 6 hours a day, for a handful of days after. “Aside from the fact that we have a strong work ethic, our love and friendship is what pushes us leaps and bounds forward and what makes us stand out against the competition,” Said Dale, explaining the extraordinary team chemistry judges often comment on.
One thing is for sure, Laker Dance sure makes us all proud to be a part of the LO community. Congratulations Laker Dancers for your hard work and incredible accomplishments this season. Go Lakers!