Members of the Dance Company of Notre Dame, a student-run dance group, will showcase their work at their annual showcase in Washington Hall this week. This entirely student-run show includes many different styles of dance, such as ballet, lyrical, contemporary, modern, tap and hip-hop.
Dance Company member Margarita Arcenas, a sophomore, said the variety in the show provides something for everyone.
"Anyone - girl, boy, student, faculty, prospective student, parent, friend - will love our show because we feature so many different styles of dance," she said.
The officers and members of Dance Company have been working on this showcase since the beginning of this semester, both organizing the show and creating the dances. Members of Dance Company choreograph all the pieces in this showcase themselves.
Choreographers perform a piece of their dance for the entire company at the beginning of the year and then the company members sign up for whichever dances they like best.
Arcenas commended the group's choreographers.
"It takes a lot of guts to go in front of your peers and dance. It also takes a lot of extra hours outside of rehearsal for choreographers to choreograph their dances."
Besides the efforts of the choreographers, the officers of Dance Company have spent much of the semester preparing for the show. President Annie Schied, Vice President Julia McGinty, Secretary Kelsey Richards and Treasurer Monica Spitzer prepare the rehearsal schedule, balance the budget, help with costumes and create programs and posters, just to name a few of their duties.
The time the members of Dance Company invest into this showcase - combined with the talents of Dance Company's members - promise to create a memorable evening of dance.
"Most members have been performing since they were four or five years old, so they really know how to put on a great show," Arcenas said of her fellow dancers.
All the members of Dance Company freely choose to dedicate a large amount of their free time to preparing for this performance - usually at least three or four hours per week. The dancers don't just bring talent to this performance, but also passion.
Despite the fact that the week leading up to the showcase is filled with long rehearsals, Dance Company member Maggie Miller, a sophomore, said is her favorite week of the year.
"Everyone always looks like they are having fun, which after all, is the reason we keep doing the art. It's great to see that reminder and appreciate everyone's hard work," Miller said.
Those considering attending the show can check out a preview of the dances online. The group has uploaded a YouTube promotion entitled "Dance Company of the University of Notre Dame," which includes clips from this year's showcase.
"Our performance is a great way to show the student body at Notre Dame the immense amount of talent, discipline and passion within our company," Arcenas said. "I think that people who go this performance will see not only our skill but also our love for dance and why we decided to continue dancing throughout college. It's also just an amazing show, but I'm pretty biased."
Dance Company's Spring Showcase will kickoff Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Washington Hall. Tickets are $5 and available at the door.
Contact Maggie Waickman at mwaickma@nd.edu
