Final project: dance concert

The African American Dance Company will perform its annual Studio Concert  at 7:30 p.m. today in the Willkie Auditorium. The concert will showcase dances depicting different aspects of environmental justice, the theme of the African American Dance Company class  this semester.

Admission to the performance is $5 and it is the final project for students enrolled in the course, which is offered through the African-American and African Diaspora Studies Department.

The class allowed students to pick the theme focused on for the semester. For the final project, students were broken up into groups of four or five to create a performance based on the chosen theme.

“Students chose this topic because it is one that they all could relate to,” said Professor Iris Rosa, ensemble director. “It is affecting them now, when they are young, and it is something that they will have to figure out how to deal with as they get older.”

Rosa said dance is a discipline that forces students to learn how to deal with the protocols, rules and regulations of the studio that helps them better prepare for life.

“Every year there is a different theme,” said Deara Ball, the ensembles road manager. “There are new people in the company every year – new people, new faces, new talent, some with no experience, some with degrees.”

Ball has been working as road manager for the past four years and has danced with the company since 2004. She said she now works more behind the scenes.
Junior ensemble member Maurice Evans joined with no prior experience.

“I started my freshman year because I always loved to dance and had no formal training,” Evans said. “I saw a flyer and decided to attend because there was no training needed.”

Freshman Lalah Hazelwood said she is excited about her performance. She decided to take the dance class because her mother had taken it.

“The performance is pretty powerful,” Hazelwood said. “There’s a lot of student choreography. It should be a good show.”