Ann Wilkinson
Contributing Writer
Coming up in Wooster’s busy extracurricular calendar is the Spring Dance Concert, presented by The Goliard. By sponsoring the dance concert, the literary magazine highlights their goal of increasing their presence and supporting all performing and visual arts on the College’s campus. This year, the Spring Dance Concert will be unlike those before it. The ball of change started rolling due to the fact that Professor Kim Tritt, the chair of theater and dance department who normally directs all of the dance concerts, is on leave. Facing a semester without Tritt, students in the dance decided to take charge and organize their own concert. The resulting event will be much more informal than the spring concerts of years past. Anyone who has wanted to choreograph a piece has had the opportunity to do so, including members of the dance company but also more novice dancers. Each student choreographer has been able to recruit anyone they want to perform in their piece, from volunteers to friends. Zoe Cunningham-Cook ’16, who is providing general oversight for the event, believes that the new temporary format has both benefits and drawbacks. Normally, dance concerts at Wooster are very structured, with a focus on modern dance. Typically, solos and music with lyrics are not allowed. This concert will include both, as well as pop songs, free form style and ballet style dancing. “I think that this concert is going to be a lot more accessible to people, which is good,” said Cunningham-Cook. The piece that she is helping to direct involves belly dancing themes from her own personal experience. Rehearsals have also been more informal, and people in different dances have been able to practice more causally, as the dance studios in Wishart are always open. The informal format has resulted in a few issues, from promoting the event to reserving space. Cunningham-Cook said, “I do wish there were more people in it. I know I’ve had to scout out some volunteers, some people have had trouble finding dancers to be in their piece.” Advertising for the event has also been more relaxed; the posters for the concert have only just gone up. The process for reserving space has been slower compared to years past. The College of Wooster dance department is relatively small compared to other departments. Normally, the spring concert showcases about twenty students, but this year it will be smaller. On an entirely related note, if you are at all interested in directing a short dance, feel free to contact Zoe Cunningham-Cook, at zcunningham-cook16@wooster.edu as soon as possible. The performance itself will take place on Saturday, April 30th at 4:30 p.m., at the Lowry Amphitheater. Fingers crossed for beautiful weather, but in the event of rain, the performance will be relocated to McGaw Chapel. No need to get tickets this year, as the event is free and open to the public. Just bring yourself and anyone you think would love attending an awesome dance concert. You won’t be disappointed.