About Us
The primary mission of the Loyola University Maryland Dance Team is to function as a spirit support group, and represent the University, Department of Recreational Sports, and Athletics in a positive manner.
The Loyola University Maryland Dance Team performs at all home men’s and women’s basketball games in addition to making numerous appearances at other athletic, campus, and community events. Members of the team are required to attend NDA College Camp in August each year. Additionally, we compete at NDA College Nationals in Division I.
We typically practice 3 times a week and our practices include technical training as well as strength & conditioning. In addition to our practices, we host team bonding activities throughout the season and are actively involved in fundraising or volunteer opportunities.
The Loyola University Maryland Dance Team performs at all home men’s and women’s basketball games in addition to making numerous appearances at other athletic, campus, and community events. Members of the team are required to attend NDA College Camp in August each year. Additionally, we compete at NDA College Nationals in Division I.
We typically practice 3 times a week and our practices include technical training as well as strength & conditioning. In addition to our practices, we host team bonding activities throughout the season and are actively involved in fundraising or volunteer opportunities.
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HEAD COACH - CHRISTINA GEORGEChristina is a New Jersey native in her 9th season as Head Coach at Loyola. She danced competitively for 11 years at the StarMaker School in Flemington, NJ, and specialized in all styles of dance including jazz, pom, hip hop, ballet, lyrical, tap, and baton twirling. In 2014, Christina graduated from East Carolina University with a B.S. in Sports Studies, and was a 4-yr member & captain of the ECU Dance Team. At ECU, Christina was recognized as an NDA Collegiate All-American, Top Gun Leaper & Turner, and had multiple top 5 finishes in Division IA at NDA College Nationals in Daytona Beach, FL.
Christina has performed at a variety of professional venues over the course of her dance career, including Madison Square Garden, Mercedes Benz Superdome, Bank of America Stadium, Tropicana Field, and RFK Stadium. Many of her former teammates have gone on to dance in the NFL and NBA including selection as NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders. In 2017, Christina graduated with her master's degree in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University, and currently works for Loyola Athletics as the Assistant Director of Strategic Marketing. |
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ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH - ALEXA BLANCHARDAlexa returns to the LUDT for her 5th season, and second season as Head Coach. Alexa has 25 years of dance experience anchored by her classical ballet training at the Washington School of Ballet in DC. She then joined her high school’s dance team in Montgomery County, MD where she helped lead the team to multiple county-wide wins as a captain. Alexa graduated from Wake Forest University in 2015 with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Neuroscience. While at WFU, she was a 4-yr member & captain of the Wake Forest Dance Team and 4-yr member of the WFU Dance Company. Alexa traveled with the football team for two years, performing across the country at other ACC schools including Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami University, and Florida State.
In 2015, Alexa returned to Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD as the Head Coach of the Poms Team. Over her five-year tenure, the team won three county-wide championship titles, multiple invitational competitions, and moved from competing in Division III to Division I. Her high school dancers have gone on to dance at Hampton University, Duke, University of Delaware, and Boston University. During this time, Alexa also began her medical school training as a graduate student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. In 2022, Alexa and her husband Zac welcomed their first baby, Jude, to their family! |
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ASSISTANT COACH - SOPHIA BENFIELDSophia returns to Loyola as the assistant coach for her first full year, after graduating Loyola in 2020. Before college, Sophia danced competitively at Arts ‘n Motion in Odenton, MD, and has experience in jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, and tap. She attended Archbishop Spalding High School where she joined the dance team and was on the team all four years she was at Spalding. The team competed at UDA High School Nationals in many different styles, including jazz and pom, and consistently placed top 15 in the nation. During her time there, the team placed 13th both her Junior Year and Senior Year where she served as captain.
After graduating, Sophia attended Loyola University Maryland and was on the dance team for all four years. While on the Loyola Dance Team, Sophia performed at all home basketball and lacrosse games, attended UDA camp, and competed at regional UDA competitions. She was appointed the team's first ever junior captain and held the role through her senior year. Sophia's senior season was unfortunately cut short due to COVID, but she did graduate with her Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Writing. She currently works in the technology field, and is excited to return to Loyola as an assistant coach of the Dance Team as dance has been in her life for so many years! |
Christina and Alexa are both proud members of the National Dance Coaches Association.
Additionally, they worked collaboratively to co-found the Maryland State Dance Team Association in 2021 and serve on the Association's Executive Board.
Additionally, they worked collaboratively to co-found the Maryland State Dance Team Association in 2021 and serve on the Association's Executive Board.
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The leadership team
2022-23 Leadership Team
2023-2024:
Captain: Brett Duffy
Captain: Gabrielle Phayme
Social Media Coordinator: Asia Garrison
Fundraising Coordinator: TBD
Captain: Brett Duffy
Captain: Gabrielle Phayme
Social Media Coordinator: Asia Garrison
Fundraising Coordinator: TBD