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Director Torin Jade Ives joined the DePaul University Dance Team as a hopeful freshman, but she quickly realized the downsides of the glitz and glamour. After resigning from the team, she wrote a letter to the Athletic Director to bring attention to the abuse the team faced.   Despite making an effort for change, she was silenced and nothing was done to protect the dancers. Ives set out to interview and film three other Midwest dance teams (Grand Valley State Laker Dance Team, Loyola University Dance Team, and the University of Northern Iowa Dance Team) and discovered the issues are the same everywhere. With being a contracted athletic sport, but not receiving any NCAA benefits, dancers slip through the cracks.   When faced with a lack of regulation, the dancers are pushed beyond their limits. No benefits, no scholarships, and no respect. Behind the red lipstick and poms is the story of generations of mistreatment for college dancers.

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Call Them Athletes