On Sunday, April 24th, the Loyola Dance Company performed their final Spring show, “Dressed Up,” in McManus Theatre. The show featured 30 performances ranging from styles in ballet, tap, modern, and contemporary and featuring a number of solos, duets, and trios. It was a bittersweet ending for the graduating seniors who were able to perform for one last time alongside their friends and other members of the Dance Company.
The Loyola Dance Company is the largest student-run organization at Loyola and is open to anyone regardless of their past dance experience. Students can try out for any style they are interested in and are placed into either level Green or level Grey depending on their skill level and experience.
In the Fall semester, the Dance Company held its first show since the start of the pandemic. On opening night, dancers received the news that both nights of the show had sold out, to much excitement. In the Spring, the show sold out in four days!
As someone who has been dancing for years, looking for a dance group in college was super important to me. I wanted to be able to join a group of like-minded dancers that shared my same passion and interests. When I found out Loyola had a Dance Company, I was thrilled. They offered the same styles of dance I had grown up with while also giving me the opportunity to practice styles I had never done before.
The Dance Company offers classes in tap, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, and modern and features a specialized hip-hop class called Dance Crew. Students can also audition to perform a solo, duo, trio, or small group during the performance. There is no limit to how many styles you can do, so there is the option to do all of them if you desire! Auditions are held on a Sunday in the beginning of the Fall semester and classes are announced the same week so rehearsals can start ASAP!
After going through auditions, I decided to join the tap, ballet, musical theater, and hip-hop groups. Each of these groups allowed me to become an even stronger dancer and gain experience in new genres. Every rehearsal set me with new challenges that I felt encouraged to tackle through the help of my instructors. I also was able to meet new people and more friends by going to classes every single week!
Every performance has felt so special through this company with support from my family, friends, and classmates. While I still get nervous before stepping onto the stage, the moment I am under the lights instantly fills me with excitement and I feel amazing.
The opportunity to continue dancing after high school in the Dance Company has allowed me to make so many new connections and experience styles I would’ve never had the chance to before! I can’t wait to continue performing with the company during my time at Loyola and gain even more experience dancing with an amazing group of people.