Katelyn Clooney
Staff Writer
As students begin to move past the “welcome backs” and settle into the spring semester, they are in need for a quick break from the normal routine. Homework is piling up, and so is the snow. So, why not put that overpriced psychology book down for a little and start dancing, or perhaps enjoy a show. Go ahead, you deserve it.
SC Dancers is a recognized student club organization at Springfield College. It is open to the lifelong ballerina, as well as to those of us with two left feet. “Anyone who likes to dance or even just wants to learn how to dance on campus can come,” explained club president Mikaela Bradley.
The club will be welcoming artists to Springfield College throughout the semester to instruct Master classes and teach a variety of dance techniques to students, faculty and staff.
However, if you’d rather just sit back and watch others perform, don’t worry because the SC Dancers have you covered. The club has two fundraisers coming up, the first of which is “Dancing with the Athletes.”
“Dancing with the Athletes,” similar in structure to ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, pairs student-dancers with student-athletes. According to Bradley, each pair will perform a 90-second routine. Audience members will then be able to vote for a duo by putting a dollar in the pair’s designated box. The duo with the most money, which will be used to fund future club events, will be declared the winner.
Originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6, “Dancing with the Athletes” will be held sometime in the coming weeks.
SC Dancers also has a spring concert in the works. Though auditions have recently passed, the club is still looking for choreographers for this fully student-produced show.
Pride Dance Team, a newly recognized club sport, is also making moves (pun intended) on campus.
Senior Alison McHorney co-founded the organization during her freshman year, which was accepted to be under the direction of Campus Recreation in the fall of 2013. During that time, the team was also awarded a coach, Meredith Montinieri, who McHorney decribed as “a huge asset to the team.” Though Springfield College has a long and proud history of athletics, the Pride Dance Team is the first of its kind.
The team has also begun competing this year. This past weekend, at Springfield’s first-ever appearance in a dance competition, the Pride claimed first place in jazz, while placing fourth in hip-hop. On March 2, the team will be attending the Universal Dance Association regional competition at Westfield State University.
In an effort to raise funds for future competitions, the Pride Dance Team will be holding an exhibition show this Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8. Both shows will commence at 7 p.m. in the Fuller Arts Center.
If you are unable to support the Pride Dance Team on the road, be sure to buy your tickets for this weekend’s shows as soon as possible, as last year’s show sold out, according to assistant captain Alicia Annelli. Tickets are currently available in the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union.
Both SC Dancers and the Pride Dance Team are always looking for new members. Students are encouraged to attend an upcoming Master class, held by the SC Dancers, while the Pride Dance team will be holding tryouts this fall.