Author: Sonia Lessuck
Beginning on Sept. 21 with choreographer auditions, Dance Production’s executive board, and co-presidents Mara Hosoda (senior) and Mackenzie Israel-Trummel (senior), kicked into gear the seven month countdown to Oxy’s most widely attended student event.
“The Executive Board is really excited about this year’s show. We had a very impressive set of students audition to choreograph on Saturday, and we are striving to put on the highest caliber show yet at Oxy,” Trummel said.
Dance Production has grown each year. Last year, a record-setting 157 students, staff and alumni danced in the show.
The Event Advisor this year is Occidental Alum Caroline Kim ’07.
Kim explains that dance is becoming a large part of the Oxy community. She attributes much of the newly found excitement to the growing dance market in popular culture. In the past four years shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew, as well as movies like Hairspray and Step Up, have brought dance into mainstream American culture. She says this new phenomena is a throwback to the times of American Bandstand when teens could hardly wait from week to week to learn the newest dance step
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With this excitement for dance popping up at Oxy, administrators are taking notice of student interest. “A lot of people in administration have been helpful in giving us studio time . . . I look forward to an increased relationship with administrators to build a greater dance community at Oxy,” Kim said.
As the event with the most student involvement, the most campus-wide attendance, and a diverse group of dances – showcasing traditional Hawaiian, Tahitian and Irish step dance – dance production embodies Occidental’s focus on community and diversity.
“Dance is one of the most effective community builders on campus,” Kim said.
At the end of last year, Allison Truscheit ’08 began rebuilding Occidental’s dance team as a competitive team, and is strongly continuing her efforts to present dance not only as a form of halftime entertainment, but also as a sport. Also emerging this year is the establishment of PULSE, a club for students to learn and practice varying styles of hip-hop. The club meets every Thursday and provides opportunities for students to dance at local L.A. venues, such as the Debbie Reynolds studio.
Kim also emphasized that it is appropriate for Oxy to have a dance program since L.A. has historically been the source of a growing hip-hop culture in the United States. Kim believes that both new and experienced dancers have a great deal to gain from being immersed in the heart of this movement.
As an annual event, students are always working to keep Dance Production alive and to outdo themselves each year. “I am so excited [for this year’s production], we have an incredibly passionate E-board [executive board],” Kim said.
There is also a great recognition for what the veteran “dance producers” have to gain from new students. The production works to maintain a welcoming feeling to all students interested. Every student who auditions, regardless of previous experience, will be cast in a dance. Although Dance Production has always been run this way, Kim emphasizes that this year, inclusion and growth is particularly important for the dancers.
Kim wants the production to be not just a show, but also a learning experience for the dancers and choreographers. Students are challenged to invest time into dance, while choreographers are given more opportunities to build their craft. The production plans to do this by holding choreographer meetings that will also serve as workshops. Workshops will help choreographers learn more effective methods of teaching dancers and expose them to different types of dance styles and techniques.
“We want to give students the tools to invest in this art,” Kim said.
With choreographers in place, students all over campus are prepping for dancer auditions this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 27. Once choreographers and dancers are set, pieces will meet weekly to rehearse for the March production.
Contact co-presidents of the event Mara Hosoda and Mackenzie Israel-Trummel for any questions concerning Dance Production.
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