MCC announces new competitive dance team

Feb. 9—Meridian Community College hopes to ignite a new spirit of energy on campus with the formation of its first competitive dance team that will be led by head coach Angie Patridge, a longtime dance coach in the Meridian area.

"We couldn't be more excited to announce the formation of a MCC dance team," Athletic Director Sander Atkinson said during a press conference Friday afternoon announcing the addition of competitive dance to the college's sports catalog. "It's the latest example, in my mind, of the college looking for opportunities to allow young people to continue to pursue activities that they are passionate about while working toward a college degree."

The new competitive dance team, which will fall under the umbrella of MCC's athletic department, will perform at sporting events and compete in various dance competitions throughout the region. In addition, the team will represent MCC at the prestigious Universal Dance Association Small College Championships.

"We really hope and expect that this program attracts student-dancers that are committed and driven to compete at the highest levels of collegiate dance," Atkinson said. "To make sure those things happen, we feel really confident that we have picked the correct person in Angie to be our coach."

Partridge was born into a dance family with her aunt, Carol Merrill, owning one of the community's longest operating dance studios, Carol Merrill Academy of Dance, where Patridge has taught for 21 years.

"I am thankful to MCC, a school that takes tremendous pride in their programs," Partridge said of her new part-time opportunity as a dance coach. "I want to extend that same pride to the dance team and build a team that will be respected not only in the community but also statewide.

"My goal is to build a dance team that can win championships, but just as important as building championship teams, I want to help build championship individuals," she added. "Individuals that will continue to spread their passion for dance and be the best versions of themselves even after graduation."

Partridge, who will continue teaching dance at Carol Merrill, began competitive dance and gymnastics at the age of five and competitive cheer at the age of 14, eventually serving as captain of both of her dance and cheer teams.

Over the years, she has coached cheer, dance and gymnastics teams that have gone on to win state and national titles. In addition, she has coached numerous former dancers who have gone on to dance and cheer at the Division I level, including her daughter Ava, who is currently on the dance team at Mississippi State University.

"If you have any connections in this community with anyone that has anything to do with dance, you are going to know Angie Patridge. She has energy. She has enthusiasm. She has a bright spirit," said MCC President Tom Huebner. "She is a natural recruiter. She works hard. I could not fathom a better person for this position."

The launch of the new dance program comes as a response to a growing interest in dance and performing arts among the MCC student body, Huebner said.

"When we're looking at opportunities for Meridian Community College, we are looking at opportunities that help to open doors for our students to allow them to have great experiences when they come to school here," he said. "We want to build a sense of community, and we want to build programs that make a difference in our community."

Huebner said the college is also excited about strengthening its partnership with Carol Merrill Academy of Dance, which will provide a secondary site, off-campus, for the dancers to train.

The recruitment of dance team members is set to begin immediately with auditions open to all students who have a passion for dance and a commitment to teamwork. In order to create a diverse and versatile team, Partridge will be looking for dancers skilled in various jazz, contemporary, hip-hop and ballet styles.

Along with dance competitions, Partridge said the team hopefully will be able to create numerous fan engagement opportunities and encourage campus-wide spirit for all athletes, students and fans.

"This has been a shared vision throughout this process, and that is important for the success of a new dance team. It feels like a perfect fit. Everyone at MCC has been welcoming and informative," Partridge said during the press conference. "I'm lucky to get to work with such an amazing institution and equally amazing people. I hope to build a dance program that is not only competitive statewide but also nationally."

For more information about MCC's new dance team, including upcoming performances and opportunities to support the team, please visit mcceagles.com or contact Partridge at apartri2@meridiancc.edu.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.