When the stands fall silent during a timeout or the game clock winds down at halftime, one group refuses to let the energy dip: the Mercer dance team. With new routines every week and crowds of students, parents and alumni watching closely, the dancers are the spirit-keepers of the sidelines.
For dance team captain Alyssa Green '27, dancing became too big a part of her identity prior to enrolling at Mercer to leave behind once she started college. Green said that joining Mercer’s program gave her a chance to continue her passion and gain leadership experience after having been in the dance team scene for more than 12 years.
“Dance has been such a big part of my life, I couldn’t let it go,” said Green, a junior. “I also love how it keeps me active and involved on campus.”
The team practices twice a week during the season, with additional weekend practices for home football games. Their performance schedule is nonstop — home basketball games, most football games and special events. The team has to learn fast because every home game requires a new routine they learn in the weeks leading up to the event.
“This can be super stressful at times, but it is all worth it when we finally get to perform,” Green said.
Head Coach Allison Yeomans, in her first year leading the team, understands the pressure firsthand. She danced in college and spent 10 years choreographing professionally before joining Mercer.
“This team is special because of their incredible positivity and drive,” Yeomans said. “They genuinely want this team to be the best it can be.”
While Yeomans handles planning and organization of the team, choreography is shared. The team purchases routines and then the captains learn them, adjust movements and design formations while Yeomans steps in from time to time to give her input.
“My captains are great and so talented,” she said. “I have only had to create 10% of the material this year, tops!”
One of Green’s proudest moments came from a recent routine titled “Fighter.”
“It ended up being one of our cleanest and most interesting dances and I couldn’t be more proud of the team for pulling through,” she said. They learned, cleaned and spaced the entire dance in just two weeks.
Both Yeomans and Green credited the team’s closeness for making achievements like that possible in spite of severe time pressure. Green added that her teammates have become some of her closest friends at Mercer and that their collective work pushes her "to be a better version of myself every single day."
For Yeomans, positivity is a contagious asset that helps the group push through hard practices or difficult times as they cherish and celebrate the team's successes.
“We are a group of girls’ girls,” she said.
As the season continues, Yeomans hopes to take the team beyond the sidelines.
“We have the skills it takes to be competitive on a national stage,” she said. “For this season, that means we continue delivering high quality, energetic performances — with a competitive edge.”
Green hopes audiences feel that drive, too.
“My dream is for people to recognize dance as a sport and see us as athletes,” she said. “We train to entertain large crowds. I want people to see our dedication and athleticism through our smiles and positive energy.”
