Monday, March 14, 2016

A Weekend of Dancing: ACDA



A group of 10 students left after classes on March 4th to head to Kalamazoo, Michigan. ACDA, American College Dance Association, holds regional conferences every year where masterclasses are held and students perform innovative choreography. This year Mercyhurst’s Dance Department brought ten students and three pieces to perform. Two of these were performed at the adjudicated concert and another was held at the informal showing. All the students took masterclasses and rehearsed all day leading to an educational and inspirational weekend.
Personally, I looked forward to taking an array of different types of classes, ones that I would not have normally had the opportunity to take. The classes offered ranged from Creole Fusion, Improvisation, Fosse Batman, Contemporary Modern, to Classical Ballet. All these different classes challenged me to broaden my artistic horizons and examine dance in a new light. Although it was only a mere five days, I learned how to incorporate all these different techniques and ideas into my own artistic expression.
The students performed three different pieces over the weekend, two at the adjudicated showcase and one at the informal showing. The pieces performed were Solveig Santillano’s Laura’s Grace, senior, Esmae Gold’s The Oath, and junior, Roni Ply’s Insomniac’s Dream. Being able to participate in showings with such a vast array of dance styles and choreography was such an incredible experience for all the dancers. I know this busy weekend of dancing, performing, and spending time with other wonderful dancers will stay as one of the high lights of my year.
-Sarah Taylor, Freshman


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