Name: Rachael Roup
Age: 20
Year: Sophomore
Major: Mechanical engineering
Hometown: Crestwood, Ky.
Campus Celeb Status: President of the University of Kentucky Dance Ensemble
HC: How and why did you first get involved with UKDE here at UK?
RR: I started looking into dance programs before I even moved to UK. My mom found out about it first and she helped me find their Facebook page, so I’d be able to audition.
HC: What are your responsibilities as the president of the university’s dance ensemble?
RR: My responsibilities involve communication between officers, helping organize during show week and choosing new members after auditions. However, my favorite responsibility is occasionally teaching classes and organizing classes taught by guests.
HC: In your tenure as president, what accomplishment are you most proud of?
RR: Our presence at last fall’s activities fair. We had never done anything like that before and the result was a massive audition group that I was thrilled to see.
HC: What has been the most rewarding about serving in this position?
RR: I love seeing the end result. The end-of-the-semester concert is the culmination of everything we’ve worked toward and even if I don’t have much control over what happens at that point, I love being able to say I helped pull that off.
HC: What has been the most challenging aspect of being president of UKDE?
RR: Trying to get funding. Dance Ensemble has been, unfortunately, getting smaller as the years go on, and while we’re performing at the Singletary Center this spring, we’ll likely have to switch locations. Organizing fundraisers can be difficult since we need people to participate and we have difficulty reaching the community.
HC: What advice do you have for students at UK thinking about getting involved with the University of Kentucky Dance Ensemble?
RR: Since joining UKDE is an audition process, I know a lot of people get really nervous and I’d advise that if you want to join, just be confident in your abilities. I’m always looking out for people who are passionate, so if you put your best effort into the audition, even if you mess up there’s a high chance I’ve noticed your attitude, and it definitely helps.
HC: How can students learn more about UKDE at the university?
RR: We have a Facebook page, University of Kentucky Dance Ensemble, which we’ve been working on updating more often to give people a glimpse of what we do. Going to see the concert is also incredibly informative and is a great indicator of the kind of styles that we perform.