By Emma Nichols~
Ariana Ibelli is the Junior Captain for the Penn State Lionettes Dance Team. She is currently a Junior Accounting Major with a Minor in Spanish. She began her dancing career at only 2 and a half years old and began competitively dancing at 7. I had the opportunity to interview her and hear about her experience as a Lionette and how dance is considered not only a sport, but an art as well.
Image taken from Ariana’s Instagram
EN: Why did you start dancing?
AI: Just like most people, my mom signed me up for multiple sports, which included my once a week dance class. I continued dancing because it was the one sport I could never give up. The way I feel being able to leave all my emotions out on the floor is something that words can never fully explain, which is why I love to dance. It’s a way to express myself when I don’t have the words to explain.
EN: What made you want to come to Penn State? Was it your first choice?
AI: Ever since I was a little girl, everyone told me I would be a perfect fit at Penn State. They would all say “You have so much spirit and energy, you would thrive at PSU.” As I got older, it was time to starting exploring colleges that’s when I made my first trip to PSU. I took a tour, went to a Penn State Lionettes Practice and went to my first Penn State Football Game. I loved how big the campus was, I loved the roar of Beaver Stadium and I loved the school spirit and there was no other school that compared. Penn State was my first choice and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
EN: Could you explain the process of becoming a Penn State Lionette?
AI: I auditioned for the team spring of my senior year of High School. It’s a three-day audition process, with the first two days demonstrating technique and three routines, one in jazz, one in hip-hop and one in pom. The third day is an interview with our Coach and the Captains of that year. After auditions, our names were posted on the website and we were officially apart of the team. Then before camp we were responsible for learning all the pom and side line routines that are performed at all the games.
Image taken from Ariana’s Instagram
EN: The dance team is listed on the Penn State athletics website. So while it’s athletic and tied to sports, what makes it creative?
AI: Dance itself is an art because of the movement of our bodies to the music. Similar to how a painter uses a paint brush, a canvas and paint to create a picture, dancers use the stage, the music and their bodies to create a routine. Each dancer who choregraphs a piece has a specific style, so this is why all of our pieces have a little bit of a different twist based on how teaches a routine.
EN: Do you consider yourself more creative or more of an athlete?
AI: I think that we are athletes because we compete against the best of the best at nationals. The creative side is something that will be demonstrated in dance whether someone wants to recognize it as an art or as a sport.
EN: What goes on during a typical Lionettes practice?
AI: We usually start with group warm up, go across the floor, and we learn, clean and practice routines that we will perform during basketball games or football games. Then with any time left over we practice our two national routines.
EN: What is it like being Junior Captain for such a major college dance team?
AI: I personally have a lot of responsibilities outside of our practice times. We practice three hours a day, four times a week and that doesn’t include performances for basketball games and football games or additional practice times for nationals. I am definitely better at time management because knowing when I have class and practice makes me value my time during the day, even if I have the smallest break. I can honestly say, I would be lost without my team. These girls are not only my teammates but they are my family and whenever I go to practice, I couldn’t be any happier. They were the group of girls that helped make Penn State feel like my home away from home. Although I have a lot of responsibilities as the Junior Captain of my team, there is nothing I want to do more than give back to the team that has given me so much. In the past three years I have been a part of this team it has grown significantly in such a small amount of time, so I am excited to continue to see how we grow and where the rest of this year takes us.
Check out the Penn State Lionettes on Instagram here!
You can also check out the Lionettes in action by visiting their youtube!