Over my four years here, Grove City has been what I like to call “a land of opportunity.” Countless positions to fill and committees to serve on has really made my time here at Grove City worthwhile. Spring Dance Company was another incredible opportunity that fell into my lap in quite a unique way; it’s an experience I’ll never forget and one that will always be close to my heart.
Spring Dance Company is a student-run dance concert that takes place during the spring semester (hence the name) on Family Weekend, which usually falls on the first weekend in May. Spring Dance Company is one of the largest attended events during Family Weekend and has gained much success over the years. I have had the privilege and honor of being able to serve this group as the Junior and Senior Head Choreographer for the past three years and have really enjoyed watching this group grow into what it is today.
It all started at midnight on a Friday – our first show was down, and the current leadership was taking applications for Junior Head Choreographer. This year in particular, I did not choreograph, so naturally I did not think that this would affect me in any way. Usually, the rules are that any rising sophomore that choreographed for the show that year is able to apply for the Junior Head position. However, when no sophomores applied, they extended the offer to freshmen. Thinking that I was not qualified or able to apply, I once again let it go…until I received an email telling me that they have now opened it up to freshman who didn’t choreograph for the show. I thought to myself long and hard about this, and it wasn’t until I went to brush my teeth and run into a close friend that I would consider this opportunity.
As I readied myself for bed that evening, a fellow freshman girl on my hall, Emily Owen (who, mind you, did choreograph for Spring Dance Company), happened to be doing the same at the time. I decided to go out on a limb and ask her if she was thinking of applying for the Junior Head Choreographer position. She had said that she was interested, but also concerned about the time commitment. I happened to find myself in the same boat. As we stood there exhausted from the day’s events, our tired minds came up with the most brilliant idea: tackle the task together. The applications were due in the morning, so we hastily filled out the forms and submitted them. By next morning’s meeting, Emily and I both found out that we would be serving as co-junior heads of Spring Dance Company. However, with us being freshman at the time, that means that we would be serving as Senior head choreographers for two years, which is a unique circumstance in itself. We were both elated and ecstatic to work with each other, and it has been quite a fulfilling three years serving this group. Sometimes, life’s best decisions can be made when *slightly* sleep deprived.
The group has made extensive improvements over the years and is in the process of undergoing many changes this year. We now for the past two years have had live emcees (instead of a slide show) and now are working to establish a social media presence. We have added a dance for beginners to our line up (anyone who may have never taken dance and wants to learn/be featured in the show) as well as weekly drop-in classes with some of our choreographers. The changes that we have implemented so far have really put the perception of Spring Dance Company in a positive direction.
This year will be my last year serving Spring Dance Company, and I am so excited to see this year’s show come together! Although I will be sad moving on from this organization, I will never forget the impact that it has left on me and all that it has taught me.
For more information about Spring Dance Company, check out our social media:
Instagram: @springdancecompany
Facebook: Spring Dance Company
