Tracy Burton will enter her 10th season as the Head Coach of the Alma College Dance Team in the Fall of 2025.
In nine years leading the program, Burton has built the Scots into National Champions at NDA's collegiate level, winning a total of 12 national championships.
2024-25 saw Alma reach new heights. Competing in both Jazz and Hip Hop at NDA nationals, the Scots posted a program record 93.88 in the prelims of Jazz competition. That score was bested in finals, as Alma took home their 3rd straight Division III Jazz national championship with another record score of 94.88. In Hip Hop action, Alma led after prelims, and made it two-for-two with their 2nd Division III Hip Hop national title in as many appearances in the category in Daytona. History was made when the Scots became the first ever Hip Hop Grand National Champion in NDA history, scoring a dominant (and record breaking for the third time in two days) 95.22. Alma edged out Division I champ Weber State in 2nd, and Division IA champion Boise State in 3rd, by 0.68 to claim the inaugural top honors in the category.
In the 2023-24 season, Burton transitioned to the Hip Hop competition for the first time in school history and was crowned National Champions. Team Seven also was named Champions in the Jazz Division III competition for another season of multiple National Championships at the NDA National Championship.
Burton led Alma to a Division III Jazz National Championship in 2022-23. The Scots crushed the competition, with far and away the best scores in the field. Her 2018-19 team won the Division III Team Dance Championship at the 2019 NDA College Nationals, the program's second time competing nationally. Leading up to this, the 2018-2019 team won first place in every other regional competition that season.
Burton joined the Alma College staff in February of 2016 and was charged with the responsibility of creating a competitive dance team, which began performing at Alma College athletics events during the 2016-17 season and added competitions in the following season.
Burton began development of the Alma program after serving as the coach for the Laker Dance Team at Grand Valley State University from 2009-11. Under her leadership, GVSU's Laker Dance Team launched into the top 5 ranking for the first time by bringing home a fifth-place trophy at the NDA National Dance Team Competition in Daytona Beach, Fla. In 2010, GVSU experienced even greater success by taking third place in both categories of dance and hip hop at the NDA national competition. In 2011, Burton concluded her career at GVSU with a first-place win for the Laker Dance Team in the Divison II Team Dance category. The team also brought home a National Championship trophy for the first time in history for either of GVSU's dance or cheer teams.
Burton began her dance training at the age of 5 and continued taking formal lessons in various forms of dance including ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, hip hop and tap. This led her to become a part of the senior company at Sonja's Elite Dance Academy in Kentwood, Mich., which included traveling to regional and national competitions in Michigan, Chicago, South Carolina, Florida, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. While in high school, Burton also was a member of the East Kentwood Varsity Dance Team, which repeatedly placed within the top five standings at the UDA National Dance Team Competition in Orlando, Florida. She continued her dance education at the collegiate level while attending Grand Valley State University.
Burton is married to Drew Burton, who is the offensive line coach at Saginaw Valley State University. The couple resides in Freeland with their daughter, Kinley.
