ALLENDALE, Mich. — The Laker Dance Team at Grand Valley State University is going viral on TikTok by sharing their dance routines and the journey to reach their goals.
With 12 national titles under their belt, the dance team is not new to success.
Head Coaches Rael Orao and Katy Nyenbrink currently lead the team. Orao said she began the team's social media accounts about 10 years ago to get the team more exposure. As a club that is largely self-funded, social media can help potential sponsors find the team.
Now, the Laker Dance Team is seeing widespread success on both TikTok and Instagram, with many videos getting tens of thousands of views—and some are garnering millions.
Their most popular video, featuring choreography from their 2018 Nationals performance, has nearly 8 million views on TikTok and nearly 14 million on Instagram.
"This has kind of spiraled into this snowball of attention that we didn't anticipate but absolutely love," said Orao.
For some members, getting to perform with the team is part of a lifelong journey.
"I actually wanted to be on the team since I was in like, middle school," said senior dance member Karsyn Morgan. "I came to all the clinics in high school."
She said the team is very close, and that they have formed genuine friendships working toward their goals.
"They're my best friends. I remember when I made the team Coach Katy told us on Zoom that we would be meeting like, our future bridesmaids and it's very true," Morgan said.
The team's social media doesn't just share videos from performances or planned recordings—it also heavily features snippets from rehearsals and workouts, including some where members are struggling.
"We also share, I think most importantly, our failures, which is something that not a lot of people do," Orao said. "I think when you're seeing a successful sports team, dance team, whatever, you see the wins and success and all the easy parts, and we try to share the hard part as well."
Orao said the members of the team should also be recognized for their efforts off the dance floor.
"It's not just about our social media following, these are students earning college degrees, they're very successful," Orao said. "They're working hard on and off the dance floor and we just love sharing our journey."
The dance team even taught 13 ON YOUR SIDE's Jay Plyburn and Emily Scarlett a quick routine during their visit to the dance studio!
The Laker Dance Team is hoping to bring home their 13th and 14th national titles in 2024.
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