Alyssa Catalani, center front, poses for a photo with family and supporters at her college letter of intent signing ceremony on June 4, 2024, at Grant Union Jr./Sr. High School. Standing, from left, are Tori Holland, Kylee Zirkel, Bri Majors, Oliver LaFramboise, Espn LaFramboise and Ivy LaFramboise. Sitting, from left, are Elijah Humbird, Maive Romero, Ashleigh Romero, Barrett Romero, Catalani and Kelli LaFramboise.

Three years ago, Alyssa Catalani decided she wanted to do something different. Now it’s helping her pay for college.

Catalani signed a letter of intent to dance for Linfield University in McMinnville during a ceremony on Tuesday, June 4, at the Grant Union Jr./Sr. High School gym.

Catalani said she’s always loved the performing arts, but a change in her family circumstances prompted the multi-sport athlete to make her own personal shift.

“It wasn’t until a huge life change in my family and me deciding, ‘Let’s change, let’s not do a sport I no longer love. … Let’s change it up a bit.’”

That shift in mindset coupled with a suggestion by a friend that she take up dance led to Catalani taking a chance in joining the Grant Union Gold dance team, where she has been a staple for the past three years.

“I did it once and now I’m stuck,” she said. “There’s no getting away from it.”

Catalani’s journey to signing with Linfield was just as unexpected as her foray into the world of competitive dance. She had initially intended to attend Southern Oregon University in Ashland but had second thoughts after she became aware that one of the more talented dancers she’d competed against in high school had committed to Linfield’s dance team. That got her attention and prompted her to look into the school herself.

After a bit of research, Catalani reached out to Linfield officials, who said they’d put her on their recruitment list.

“I’d given them my schedule,” she said. “I guess they sent a scout out, and a couple weeks later they were like, ‘We’d love to have you on the team,’” she said.

The news was welcome but also cause for concern. Linfield is a private school, which left Catalani wondering how she was going to pay for her education there.

Some of that concern was mitigated when she received her acceptance letter along with a congratulatory note informing her that the school was awarding her a $28,000 scholarship. That scholarship, coupled with traditional financial aid, left Catalani with an $8,000 yearly bill to attend the private school.

Next for Catalani was a trip to McMinnville for an audition that would determine her place on one of two teams: the sideline team, which only does sideline dance routines at sporting events, and the performance/competitive team, which does sideline and halftime performances in addition to competing at nationals.

Catalani was placed on the competitive team.

It was a validation of the choice she made three years ago to try something different. From having no experience when she joined Grant Union Gold, she has evolved into a seasoned veteran on a talented college dance squad.

Catalani will also be sticking with performing arts in pursuing her major, deciding to focus on theater during her time at Linfield.

Catalani said she hopes the current crop of prospective dancers see her story and decide to take the plunge into dance and, hopefully, benefit from all it can offer.

“I just tell them to take that risk — because it is a risky thing, and a lot of their classmates are going to tell them that they’re crazy and that it’s not a real sport, or it’s too easy and that they should be doing something else,” she said. “I’ve done a lot of sports. I’ve played almost all of them. This is the hardest one I’ve ever done.”