{"id":34893,"date":"2024-05-01T09:25:59","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=34893"},"modified":"2024-05-01T09:27:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:27:12","slug":"hernandez-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hernandez-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"Dancing with the (Collegiate) Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Amanda Hernandez \u201921, now a busy med student, coaches her former team to \u2018pom\u2019 glory\u2014from hundreds of miles away<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Bear Hugs” celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at cornellians@cornell.edu<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When Amanda Hernandez \u201921 heard the news that the Cornell University Dance Team<\/a>\u2014which she coaches\u2014had made it to the finals of a major national competition in January 2024, it wasn\u2019t just a memorable occasion because the squad had performed beyond their wildest expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Hernandez and the team, the moment was extra special because it was one of the only times that season that they\u2019d actually been in the same room together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now a first-year medical student at the University of Michigan, Hernandez has mainly coached the squad remotely for the past three seasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Amanda
Suited up for pom as a senior.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She either watches practices live on Zoom, or the dancers post videos of their routines on a Facebook page where she can comment and offer advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Before moving to Michigan last year, she’d occasionally drive all the way from her New Jersey home to attend practices in person.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s always supportive,\u201d says team member Kayla Simone \u201924. \u201cEven when she\u2019s giving a correction or feedback, it\u2019s from a place of love; she truly wants to watch us grow as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Striking a pose during nationals in 2020.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hernandez has been a part of the team since its inception in 2017, when she joined as a freshman majoring in biology and society in Arts & Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back then, the group had just eight members who taught themselves routines and performed at a few basketball games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the 18 dancers practice three times a week, perform at most basketball and football home games\u2014and compete on a national stage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She truly wants to watch us grow as a team.<\/p>\nDancer Kayla Simone \u201924<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For three years, the team has participated in the U.S.\u2019s largest collegiate dance competition<\/a>, drawing squads from hundreds of schools to Walt Disney World\u2019s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL, each January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Says Hernandez: \u201cThe growth we have had is unbelievable for such a short period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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