The Texas-based community college is viewed as one of the elite cheer programs in the country. But in the world of dance, that status belongs to Millard North High School.

Led by Fort Dodge natives and St. Edmond High School graduates Andrea (O’Rourke) Feltz and Mila (O’Rourke) O’Brien, the program claimed a third title at the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Championship.

The event took place in Orlando on ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex inside the HP Field House.

In 2019, Millard North earned both the pom and jazz division titles on a national level, claiming their first crowns. They defended in the large varsity pom division this past year and were second in jazz.

-Submitted photo
Andrea Feltz (front row, far left) and Mila O’Brien (front row, far right) led the Millard North Dance Team to another national championship earlier this year. The two are sisters who cheered and competed for St. Edmond in high school before reuniting in Omaha to lead the program.

“We have been inching our way to the top,” Feltz said. “We have been attending the USA National Dance Team competition for 12 years, placing in the Top 3 in at least one of our routines since 2015.

“We love to push the girls beyond their current technical abilities. We think it is important for the team to have something to really work hard for in order to promote team strength. One thing about dance team that differs from other sports is that every dancer has to be able to do all the big skills.

“This promotes team unity because the team knows each and every member is equally as important. This also creates an amazingly supportive team because they all have the same goal and they know they can’t reach it alone.”

Feltz, who was a cheerleader and ran track for the Gaels, took over as head coach in 2003. She cheered in college at Northwest Missouri State.

O’Brien, also a former St. Edmond cheerleader and runner, joined her sister in 2008, with the two taking the school to national events a year later. She was a member of the University of Nebraska-Omaha dance team in college.

-Submitted photo
St. Edmond graduates and sisters, Andrea (O’Rourke) Feltz and Mila (O’Rourke) O’Brien celebrate with their Millard North Dance Team after claiming a national championship earlier this year.

On the state-scene, Millard North has won each of the state pom titles since 2008 — the longest streak in Nebraska state dance team history. They are also nine-time jazz champions.

The team recently captured both Class A pom and jazz state titles, giving them 23 championships over the past 12 years.

“We have amazing support from our parents and our school,” Feltz said. “We have created an environment that encourages hard work, but also time for fun and building relationships.”

O’Brien added, “The ladies on our team are full of grit, passion and commitment.”

“There is a lot of trust among them,” she said. “These qualities did not just happen overnight. It has taken hours of practice, tough love, motivational quotes, small talks and lots of hugs.

“Dancers on our team get it; maybe not on the first day they come into practice, but over time, those qualities develop and stay with them forever, even beyond their time on MNDT.”

Feltz and O’Brien, along with Amy Hothan, opened NO LIMITS Dance and Acrobatic in 2018 as a facility for dancers looking to train and improve. Feltz and O’Brien are also family and consumer science teachers at Millard North High School.

“We have had a unique experience of getting to work alongside one another the past 12 years,” O’Brien said. “The two of us make a remarkable team. Each of us have our own strengths, ideas and talents to share with our dancers.

“Together, with our driven and talented team, we have put Millard North dance team on the map.”

Feltz and her husband, Ryan, have three daughters while O’Brien and her husband, Fort Dodge Senior High graduate Jamie, have one.