Sunday, March 20, 2011

Audio slideshow

Audio Slideshow

News Package Video

The St. Edward's University Dance Team is gearing up for their first annual Spring Show in April. The Dance Team spends the majority of their practice time planning and practicing for this new fundraiser and performance opportunity. The showcase, which will be held on April 15, 2011, has been a new challenge for the team.

Captain Meg Seeger, Captain Taylor Eades, and Advisor Ann Mary Carney developed the idea for the Spring Show. They came together to pick a date, a space, and presented the idea to the members last year after tryouts.

The current team, which consists of seven members, also contributed to the development process. Since January, Sunday practices are completely dedicated to this Spring Show, however, now Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday practices are spent stretching and working on routines for the upcoming performance.

The planning process is what has taken the girls the most time. In January the seven members showed up to practice and spent two hours deciding what dances and what music they wanted to use. Team members also presented ideas for solos, ensembles, as well as choreography. Taylor Eades, Meg Seeger, Katy Seeger and Veronica Villegas are choreographing team dances for the show.

The Spring Show planning process wasn’t brutal but it required brainstorming. The first point: picking a theme. The girls didn’t want to restrict the dances they could perform by a specific theme, so after careful consideration they decided on “Dance… It’s All I Want To Do.” This quotes is from a Kylie Minogue song that the team will be using as their closer dance.

Once the theme was picked, it was time to decide what dances and styles the girls wanted to perform. In the past, the dance team has focused on hip-hop and jazz routines, but the Spring Show will be a little more creative.

The Dance Team will perform everything from a hoodie dance to a contemporary routine. After sitting in a circle for two hours and allowing each member to play song ideas from their smartphones, the team members voted on the songs they wanted to use. The Spring Show will include all types of music from Muse to Florence and the Machine.

Although the behind the scenes planning process has been essential for a successful show, it is what happens during practice that is the most important. The first step for a successful show is stretching. Stretching gets the girls ready to perform and ensures they won’t be injured during practice. Without stretching there can be no dancing.

Practice, both personally and as a team, is significant. The girls have to be ready to work individually if they’re struggling as well as with the members.

Veronica Villegas, a sophomore on the dance team, spends extra time working on leaps and turns after practice is over. She also uses extra time to work on choreography for the show.

Not matter how much work the team does during in practice; it won’t pay off unless there are costumes and advertising. Freshman Taylor Lieber is in charge of costumes this year and has been working hard to find the perfect outfits.

“It’s really exciting looking for different costumes that fit different songs and different dance styles,“ said Lieber.

Advertising is the last step the team has to conquer. The event is already up on collegiate link as well as on Facebook, but getting the word out through posters and flyers needs to be done. The girls are hoping that within the next week, St. Edward’s University students will see Spring Show flyers around campus.