Dance recital mixes ethnic styles

Students in several Health, Physical Education, and Recreation dance classes will perform in the school’s annual departmental dance recital at 7 p.m. today in the Willkie Auditorium.

Participating classes include modern, Middle Eastern, jazz and tap dance. Each class will perform a routine in its dance’s signature style, which they have been rehearsing for, in most cases, nearly five weeks.

The students in the performing classes range from beginners to advanced and experienced dancers. Junior Clara Mitchell, who will perform with her modern dance class, danced for 12 years before college.

“I quit modern dance and ballet when I decided to go to college and study English,”

Mitchell said. “But I performed many times with my ballet school’s professional company. Dance is really comfortable to me. I missed (it), and this class was a wonderful, low-pressure way to reconnect with the art form.”

For other students, their spring semester dance class was the first introduction to dance they have had.

Dylan Cowley, a freshman performing with her Middle Eastern dance class, decided to take the introductory HPER class after wanting to try belly dancing for years.

“I have not taken any kind of dance before, although I have been wanting to for a couple years,” Cowley said. “I used to watch belly dancers perform at various events in my hometown, and I loved the grace with which they moved. The women seemed so connected, and it looked like such an enjoyable activity.”

Cowley hopes that tonight’s recital will help people realize that Middle Eastern dance is a technical and artistic artform about more than just being sensual and exotic.

“Belly dancing is often viewed as an erotic, provocative dance, but that really is not the reason why so many people do it,” Cowley said. “Our (finger cymbal) dance will be shown, which will hopefully help the audience realize that there are many technical aspects of belly dancing.”

Participating dancers are excited that the departmental recital will showcase the hard work and effort that they have put into their courses throughout the semester.

“The show should give an interesting sampling of the kinds of dance classes offered at IU,” Mitchell said. “I am looking forward to (today’s) demonstration as a chance to share what our class has worked on this semester.”

Middle Eastern dance instructor Donna Carlton said tonight’s performance will be an enjoyable chance to see the IU dance community come together.

“The other HPER dance class students are usually very supportive of each other,” Carlton said. “Oftentimes the dance majors or dance minors see my students perform, and then decide to sign up for Middle Eastern dance the next semester.”