Just Dance
More and more SLU students are expressing themselves through dance.
The music is catchy, the moves are sharp, and the costumes 鈥� from multicolor sequins to tartan plaid 鈥� are fabulous.
One afternoon in February, six of SLU鈥檚 student dance groups took to the stage in Xavier Theatre to show off their skills and celebrate all things dance at SLU. These six groups exemplify today鈥檚 Saint Louis University dance community: diverse, enthusiastic and growing. In recent years, the number of dance teams on campus has climbed, and today, nearly a dozen groups bring an impressive range of dance styles and world rhythms to SLU.
The dancers themselves have a lot to say, both on stage through their choreography and musical selections, and off stage, as they talked about why they dance, some of the biggest misconceptions about the dance styles they鈥檙e so passionate about, and what they love about SLU鈥檚 dance community writ large.
Saz贸n /// Acrobatic Salsa
Alex Ocasio (A&S 鈥�09, Grad A&S 鈥�12) was a SLU graduate student teaching an intro to salsa dancing class at Simon Recreation Center when he was asked to put together a Latin dance team virtually overnight for a multicultural event on campus. Embracing the challenge, Ocasio recruited some willing students, and Saz贸n (pronounced say-zahn), SLU鈥檚 acrobatic salsa team, was formed. Today, the team has nearly 40 members.
What exactly is acrobatic salsa? For Saz贸n, it means borrowing lifts, dips and tricks from many genres of dance and infusing them with Latin rhythms. Ocasio, who still leads the team, prides himself on teaching beginners how to become acrobatic performers, emphasizing proper technique and safety.
The team has attracted a diverse group of Billikens.
鈥淚 have students from literally around the world 鈥� from Mexico to Chile to Peru to Iraq to the Philippines to Puerto Rico and beyond. While a handful of the team鈥檚 members have some sort of dance background, most of the members came to the team with just an interest in Latin dance and a willingness to learn,鈥� Ocasio said.
Saz贸n has performed on campus and off, partnering with a dance team from Washington University in St. Louis, as well as performing for a national gathering of the Girl Scouts and participating in a citywide international student event, which brought together students from five colleges.
Omkara /// Classical Indian Dance
Three years ago, four students with a shared passion for classical Indian dance decided to bring the dance form 鈥� among the oldest in the world 鈥� to SLU. They started Omkara (pronounced ohmkar-a), a dance team that is part of SLU鈥檚 Hindu Student Community. The group has since grown to 15 members.
For biology major Nisha Rao, being part of Omkara offers an opportunity to reshape people鈥檚 perceptions.
鈥淎 lot of people view traditional Indian dance as something outdated, but we鈥檙e bringing new life and new light to an old art form,鈥� Rao said.
To that end, Omkara鈥檚 performances retell stories from traditional Indian mythology and literature through a 21st-century lens.
Aiswariya Ramaswamy, a health management and biology major, explained: 鈥淲e鈥檙e working on a piece that鈥檚 telling stories from Hinduism and connecting them to modern day themes, such as women鈥檚 empowerment. We鈥檙e intertwining the stories from Hinduism to how we can connect with them in our world today.鈥�
The team鈥檚 members have been blown away by the reaction from the SLU community.
鈥淢edia sometimes portrays Indian classical dancing in a way that doesn鈥檛 reflect what it really is. It鈥檚 often portrayed as sillier than it really is. It鈥檚 actually such a rich and beautiful art,鈥� said Juhi Nayak, a health management major. 鈥淣ow that we鈥檝e brought it to SLU, people have realized how cool classical Indian dance is rather than just associating it with what they see in movies.鈥�
Elevation /// Irish Dance
Although the Elevation Irish dance team has been on campus for about a decade, it wasn鈥檛 until a few years ago that the team decided to start entering intercollegiate competitions, taking their team to the next level. Over time, their performances have become more creative, and the team has been seeking out more ways to connect with teams from other universities. Last year, Elevation helped launch the first collegiate competition at one regional Irish dancing competition.
鈥淭hat was a really big deal for us and a real landmark for Elevation鈥� said Bridget Corcoran, Elevation president and investigative medical science major. For Corcoran, who began dancing when she was 4 and danced competitively into high school, finding others at SLU who shared her passion was a rewarding surprise.
鈥淭he best part of being in Elevation is meeting people who are just as into this weird world of Irish dancing as I am,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or those who competed in grade school or high school, it鈥檚 your whole life, and few people you鈥檒l meet can relate to that. To come to college and meet people your age who share that is super fun. There鈥檚 a pretty big Irish dance community at SLU.鈥�
XQuizit /// Urban Dance
XQuizit (pronounced exquisite) is often called a hip-hop dance team, but health sciences student and XQuizit dancer Lauren Maalouf set the record straight.
鈥淲e鈥檙e technically an urban dance team,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ip-hop is more specific than most people realize. It has its own culture and style of moving. Urban dance is a more general term for what people often think of as hip-hop. It represents a bunch of substyles, which are changing all the time.鈥�
The team鈥檚 25-plus members range from those with zero dance experience to those with experience in another style of dance, such as ballet, contemporary dance and even belly dancing. That diversity comes in handy when it鈥檚 time to choreograph, and all members are encouraged to collaborate on the group鈥檚 routines.
Maalouf sees this dance diversity as a strength not only for XQuizit, but for the larger SLU dance community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome that there are so many different types of dance teams,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wish all of the teams put on more workshops. I鈥檇 take them all!鈥�
K:ODE /// K-Pop-inspired Dance
K:ODE (pronounced code) is SLU鈥檚 鈥淥de to K-Pop鈥� dance team, which formed in 2014 as a small group of friends united around their love for Korean pop music and dance. Today, the group is 31 K-pop aficionados strong.
Most of K:ODE鈥檚 members don鈥檛 have formal dance training; they are just people who enjoy dancing and appreciate K-pop.
鈥淭he common perception of K-pop is that it鈥檚 only fluffy, bubblegum kind of pop, like the stereotype people have when they think of boy bands or girl bands. But K-pop is unique in that the hard work and training years required to be a K-pop star are actually very intense. There are people who have been with their K-pop agency just as trainees for 10 years before they debut as a K-pop idol,鈥� graduate student Luella Loseille (A&S 鈥�17, Grad Ed 鈥�19) said.
K:ODE is always looking for opportunities to collaborate with other teams, inviting members of other dance groups 鈥� and from SLU鈥檚 many a cappella groups 鈥� to perform alongside them. For Loseille, those connections with other performers are key.
鈥淭he SLU dance community has been a big part of my time here, both as an undergrad and now as a grad student,鈥� Loseille said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been involved, dancing first with XQuizit and now with K:ODE. SLU is unique in that we have such diverse styles of dance available on campus, but at the same time, it鈥檚 no issue for these different styles to collaborate.
鈥淎t the end of the day, we all enjoy music; we all enjoy dancing. There is a beautiful harmony in dancing together as a group and just enjoying each other鈥檚 presence. The dance community here on campus is pretty cool,鈥� she said.
Phases of Motion /// Studio Dance
Like XQuizit, Phases of Motion鈥檚 dance style is a bit hard to define. Watching Phases perform, you might recognize elements of jazz, ballet, modern, lyrical, contemporary and tap dance 鈥� a combination that reflects the diverse dance backgrounds of the group鈥檚 13 members.
While most of the Phases dancers come to the team with some classical dance training, Natalie Seidl, a communication sciences and disorders major, said the path to that training was different for each member.
鈥淲e have gymnasts and figure skaters. I myself come from more of a musical theater background, and we鈥檝e had people from color guard. It鈥檚 really cool blending all those styles together, and everyone has a unique thing they bring to the dance team,鈥� Seidl said.
Before coming to SLU and auditioning for Phases, health sciences student Haley Grimes assumed she鈥檇 leave dancing behind after high school. The opportunity to continue to dance has been an unexpected highlight of her years at SLU.
鈥淒ance is such a creative outlet. With everything going on 鈥� with studying and classes 鈥� it鈥檚 a great way to take things off of your mind. In addition to being a great creative space, it鈥檚 a chance to get some exercise and hang out and have fun with friends,鈥� she said.
For Seidl, that connection with teammates is everything.
鈥淧hases has always been a safe place to dance. It鈥檚 a judgmentfree zone, and all the
girls are really supportive. It鈥檚 a smaller family, a tight community, and it鈥檚 really
nice to get to know all these other girls I wouldn鈥檛 have met
otherwise,鈥� Seidl said.
Billikens in Motion
SLU鈥檚 other student dance groups include:
- Movement Exchange
Whose members bring dance classes into underserved communities - Saintsations
The SLU athletics dance team - Shakti
A Bollywood-fusion dance team - Raas
A troupe devoted to Garba-Rass, traditional folk dancing from the Indian state of Gujarat
Dance in the Classroom
In response to the thriving and growing dance community on campus, SLU's Department of Visual and Performing Arts now offers a for undergraduate students. Courses cover a variety of dance techniques, along with choreography and allied crafts such as music and theatre.
鈥� By Sarah Hilgendorf, photos by Garrett Canducci
Founded in 1818, 新澳门六合彩开奖结果 is one of the nation鈥檚 oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers nearly 13,000 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University鈥檚 diverse community of scholars is SLU鈥檚 service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.