Dance Team Darlings

Delaney Wixom is a freshman on the Wisconsin-Eau Claire dance team. She outlined her journey in this Dance Diary.
“I joined dance at age 3, and started competitively dancing at age 6,” she said. “I’ve been a competitive dancer ever since.”
She is a dancer with a wide range of skills.
“I’ve done all styles from hip hop to tap to ballroom,” she said. “Contemporary has always had my heart.”
Dancing in college was not always on her radar.
“It hasn’t always been a dream of mine,” she said. “I actually didn’t think I was going to dance in college until the middle of junior year.”
She has a ton of fun with her teammates.
“My favorite part about UWEC:DT is the community of the team,” she said. “Our group is such a silly group and we all have so much fun together.”
She lifts weights and stretches to remain flexible and strong.
“I do weightlifting as training,” she said. “I also practice skills in my free time and stretch most nights.”
Performing brings her nerves and excitement.
“The feeling I get when dancing in front of a crowd is indescribable,” she said. “I’ve called it ‘nervcited’ since I was young because that’s the best way I can put it!”
She offered words of wisdom.
“My best advice for younger dancers is that comparing yourself to others so harshly will never help you in the long run,” she said. “Instead of comparing, take it as a way to push yourself to learn new things and be the best that you can be. Don’t think ‘Oh, she’s so good, I could never be like that.’ Think, ‘Oh, she’s so good, I’ll train to get to that point.’ “