Sarah Murray '27
Materials Engineering & Design, Innovation, Society
Budget Lead (President)
Danced from age 2.5 onward, studying classical ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, and hip-hop, competing on the YAGP, Connecticut Classic, and NUVO stage, and taking intensives at Urbanity Dance Boston. Also represented the state of Massachusetts at Dance Excellence. "My favorite memories at RPI come from the Dance Team - and I think what tops my list is team dinners before Nationals in the Spring. Last year, best year!!"
Emma Hamilton '29/30
Architecture
Fundraising Lead (Vice President)
Studio-trained for 15 years, including training in jazz, contemporary, lyrical, modern, ballet/pointe, tap, and musical theatre, competing for 5 years. "My favorite memory is all of our team bonding nights!"
Carlos Garcia-Soto '26 MBA '27
MBA in Marketing Analytics
Social Media Co-Lead
Started dancing and performing in front of a crowd when he joined his high school's Varsity Dance Team at 18. "I joined RPIDT October of 2022 after attending open practices, and it was the best decision I ever made. Not only have I been able to learn tricks and gain technical skills throughout the years, I've also gained a group of best friends that I would consider sisters. My favorite memory will always be the night before semi-finals at Nationals where we have a big pasta dinner cooked by the coaches. We discuss emotions and hype each other up! It's bittersweet to think about how this is my last year, but I'm beyond excited to see where this season takes us."
Jane Atkinson '29
Environmental Engineering
Social Media Co-Lead
Danced from age 1.5 onward, beginning competition at age 6. "I have always loved being onstage, so joining the RPI dance team was the best decision! This is my second year on the team, and my first year was amazing. All of the dancers are so kind, funny, and supportive. My favorite memory was probably traveling to Florida for Nationals with the team. We danced all week together, bonded so much, and all of our hard work paid off. I can't wait for the next years on RPIDT!"
Edwina McCormick began her dance career training at Berkshire Ballet and Eleanor's School of Dance, where she developed a foundation in Ballet and Tap before expanding her training into Jazz and Hip-Hop. She also has a background in cheerleading, adding another dimension of athleticism, performance, and versatility to her dance training. Her early performance experience included touring with an African dance company, which broadened her exposure to different styles of movement and performance.
Edwina went on to become a Division I collegiate dancer before beginning a rofessional dance career that included performing in the AFL, CBA, USBL, and NBA. Throughout her career, she continued her training in Hip-Hop and Jazz, including training at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City and participating in professional workshops with dancers and choreographers from the NBA, NFL, and College circuit.
Her experience later expanded into choreography, instruction, and coaching. Edwina taught Hip-Hop at local studios and RPI for more than a decade and has choreographed for professional and collegiate dance programs. She also served as Head Dance Coach for the Albany Empire of the Arena Football League.
Edwina currently serves as Head Coach of the RPI Dance Team, where she has built a nationally competitive collegiate program and continues to develop dancers through technical training, performance, leadership, and competitive excellence.
Grace Gionta's passion for dance began at Claudia's Dance Studio. She spent her early years training in a variety of styles, including Jazz, Ballet/Pointe, Tap, and Baton Twirling. Grace attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earning degrees in both Chemical and Mechanical Engineering. During her time at Rensselaer, she was part of the RPI Dance Team and was coached by Edwina McCormick. She represented RPI at both the Regional and National levels, competing across the Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Pom categories. After graduating, she settled in upstate NY and continued her dance career as a professional arena football dancer in Albany, NY. Following years of dancing in both the NAL and AFL, Grace stepped into the role of head coach of the Albany Empresses and Albany Firebird Flames. Currently, Grace is the Assistant Coach of the RPI Dance Team. She has been a part of the RPI dance team for 10 years and brings a unique perspective to the program as a former RPI student and dancer.