In 2012, the Athletics Department recognized the Sharkettes as the official dance team of Nova Southeastern University, solidifying its presence in the community.
“It started as a club, just like any other organization on campus. After the first year, it was put under the wing of the Athletics Department. It went from a student-run organization to being part of athletics,” said Jenna Thornton, senior dance major and co-captain of the Sharkettes.
Throughout its history, the team has experienced various transitions and changes. In 2017, the team expanded its focus to include both cheer and dance. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the team to adapt, and it made the decision to focus solely on dance.
“Over the years, it went from being a cheer team to a cheer and dance team, and now it’s solely a dance team,” Thornton said.
Shanygne Kea Bitna, head coach of the NSU Sharkettes Dance Team for three years, said she has been with the team for a decade.
“When I came to college, I decided to audition for the NSU Sharkettes, and that was in 2013, and I realized, I don’t know how to dance,” she said. “I don’t know the foundations of jazz or contemporary, so I decided to teach myself. I auditioned, and I made the team. That was shocking to me because I was always a cheerleader. Now, I am the head coach. I have grown since then.”
The Sharkettes dance at basketball games, soccer matches and volleyball events, as well as various community and service events hosted by NSU.
Nina Lozovnoy, junior public health major and captain, appreciates the opportunity to explore different dance styles.
“I’m more of a well-rounded dancer with my teammates, since we all come from diverse backgrounds for dance, and our coach comes from a very unique background in dance as well,” Lozovnoy said. “It’s just really rewarding getting to learn from each other and watching each other grow.”
The Sharkettes prefer not to be identified as cheerleaders but rather as dancers.
“Being known as a cheerleader is not a bad thing in any way, because a few of the girls come from cheer backgrounds, but it’s just kind of, we go out there and do so many more things than just cheering,” Thornton said. “We work really hard on our dancing routines. We’re doing jazz, we’re doing hip-hop, we’re doing pom. It’s just so many different styles and so many things that go into our routines.”
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