Photo courtesy of Daviel Schulman.
Connecticut College’s student-run dance club was officially added to the list of club sports this year. While dance is very athletic and requires bodily strength, most people tend to view it as an art form rather than a sport. Dance is unique because it allows people to express themselves artistically and exercise at the same time.
The Connecticut College Dance Club is an entirely student-run organization that primarily focuses on preparing for a performance at the end of the fall semester. This year’s show will be held in the Martha Myers Dance Studio (turned into a blackbox theater) and includes dances choreographed and performed by about 50 students total. Student choreographers can create dances of any style; this year, some of the styles include modern, jazz, and tap. Students will also be operating the sound and lighting for the show. While Dance Club does not require auditions, students do have to audition to participate in the fall show. Everyone is cast in a dance; the auditions simply determine which dance students are placed in.
The current Dance Club presidents are sophomores Jocelyn Lewis, Haley Michel, and Zoe Zitner. Traditionally the presidents are sophomores as many juniors plan to study abroad and senior dancers often work on Capstone projects. The news that Dance Club became a club sport this year came as a bit of a surprise to even the presidents, who found out at one of their Student Advisor training sessions over the summer. In the past, Dance Club had some interactions with the Connecticut College club sports staff, but it was mainly under the supervision of the staff in charge of general clubs. Zitner explained that Dance Club never had to attend club sports meetings, sign injury compliance forms, or schedule their “practice times” before this year. Although it is unclear exactly why Dance Club became a club sport, according to the presidents, the school’s rationale was that there is a high level of risk associated with dance because it is so athletic and dancers often get injured. Making Dance Club a club sport may have been a way of acknowledging this. Dean Norbert, the Assistant Dean of Student Engagement and New Student Programs, elaborated, “We recognize the athleticism and talent it takes to be a dancer and so there are some similar policies that the dance club must follow that are the same as our club sport teams. However, we do recognize they are very different than a competitive team sport. We are working with the club to make sure that expectations and processes make sense for their club and their unique needs.”
Michel is glad Connecticut College sees that Dance Club is “as important as the other club sports.” She added, “Our show is as important to us as tournaments and games are to other sports.” Lewis agreed that it feels “good to be recognized” because Dance Club is very large but was left out of the loop of communication between club sports before. Despite the advantages, Lewis, Michel and Zitner noted that dance is an art form and they hope this change will not take away from the artistic identity of the club.
After learning about their new status as a club sport, the Dance Club presidents immediately began receiving emails for club sports leaders. Lewis said that they felt “a little out of place” at the required Zoom meeting for all club sports leaders. The presidents indicated that one key difference between dance and other sports is that dancers rehearse, while athletes practice. They were asked to send their “practice schedule” to the head of club sports, Rachel Loughran, but Dance Club is composed of smaller groups that create their own rehearsal schedules. Michel expressed that Dance Club runs similarly to the Connecticut College club MOBROC (Musicians Organized for Bands Rights on Campus). Dance Club and MOBROC are both large clubs that are made up of several student-led groups. The Dance Club presidents plan to follow MOBROC’s model of creating a Google Calendar for all groups to list their rehearsal times. Despite the uncertainties of Dance Club becoming a club sport, Lewis, Michel, and Zitner look forward to growing their club and gaining more support from Connecticut College staff throughout this school year.
The 2021 fall semester Dance Club performance is on Nov. 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. in the Martha Myers Dance Studio (located on the third floor of the College Center at Crozier-Williams).
