When students come to the University of Maryland, they have hundreds of clubs, organizations, and teams to get involved in. But for Maryland sophomores Stephanie Golding and Monika Looney, there was something missing: Forward Motion Dance Company.
“We noticed that there was no contemporary dance group on campus. Monica and I were both trained in contemporary and we were missing it a lot so we decided to start one of our own. Dancers should have a contemporary dance option,” Golding explained.
During the fall 2013 semester, Golding, a neurophysiology major, and Looney, a cell biology and genetics and psychology major, worked to make their vision of a contemporary dance company on campus come to life. In September, the dance company held auditions in the School of Public Health. 42 possible members auditioned by performing a dance piece to Lana Del Ray’s “ Young and Beautiful.” 42 possible new members auditioned but only 23 were given the coveted spots as the first members of Forward Motion Dance Company.
Every Wednesday from 8-10 pm and Friday from 4-7 pm the team meets in Preinkert Field House to practice routines and exercises.
“Dance lets you express yourself and it is a good break from the stress of school. It’s also good for you and it’s fun,” Golding said.
Though Golding and Looney hold rehearsals for their teams twice a week, the duo already have much dance experience under their belts. Looney has years of both gymnastics and studio dance experience while Golding trained with a pre-professional ballet company. Together, they use their experience to coordinate contemporary dance pieces for their teams. Although they sometimes coordinate together, they say they have found an equal balance as co-presidents of the company and they sometimes come up with choreography on their own.
However, there is more to it than dance.
“The girls are really nice and we’ve done not just rehearsals but we’ve also done bonding activities and fundraisers so we’re forming a team,” Golding said of her company.
Although Looney and Golding, who are co-presidents of the dance company, say they have enjoyed building a team, the group has been a lot of work for them financially.
“It’s been a lot of work because we’re starting from scratch. It’s costs a lot of money to rent the space which is basically all we need,” Golding explained.
However, the duo hope the future outcome of their efforts will outweigh the financial strain.
“ We’re looking to have performances so it would be nice to have our own show, preferably one per a semester,” Golding said.
For more information on Forward Motion Dance Company, please check out their Facebook page.