Since its founding in 2004, Notre Dame Dance Company has hosted an event each semester exhibiting student-choreographed dances. With over 70 students and 27 dances featured in this year’s fall showcase, the production filled Washington Hall for two sold-out shows on Nov. 20 and 21.
Dance Company president and senior Kelley Rood leads the organizational and logistical preparations for the showcases.
“Before the semester started, I was reserving rehearsal space every week because we have weekly rehearsals for each dance in the show and making sure that all the other officers know what their duties are throughout the semester, dividing up that work so that we’re all productive together,” Rood said. “It’s a lot of making sure that we have the space and willpower to do everything, and then for the actual showcase, making sure we have all of our crew up to date with everything and that everything is going smoothly and going as planned.”
Rood has been involved with the company since the beginning of her time at Notre Dame. “I joined Dance Company freshman fall, and I auditioned for nine dances. It was a lot of dances for a freshman, and I did all of them. It was the best semester ever, best year, and all the upperclassmen were so welcoming and inviting.”
Rood said one of her goals was to uphold the program’s success and tight-knit community.
“From that point, I knew that I wanted to stick with Dance Company and keep that culture alive throughout my time here, so after I leave it continues to thrive and prosper,” Rood said.
After preparing for the semester, Rood noted how the event’s success relies on the hard work from all members.
“It starts mostly with the student choreographers. Everything is student-run, so all of the dances are choreographed by students,” she said. “We have a choreographer showcase at the beginning of the semester where everyone who wants to choreograph can show 30 seconds of what they would have, and then the company votes on what dances they want to be in the show.”
Sophomore Belle Smith choreographed her first dance for the company this year for the fall showcase.
“After all the dances are picked, if your dance is selected, you get to audition people to be in your piece, which is really cool,” Smith said.
Smith choreographed dances before coming to Notre Dame, and she highlighted how the process takes time and experimentation.
“In high school, my friend and I were in the same company, and that was also student choreographed. Everyone’s process is really different, but first we pick a song and what style we want it to be, and then we start doing different things, testing them out to see if we like how it looks,” Smith said. “It’s trial and error. We would choreograph something, and then go back to it later and be like, ‘Never mind. That’s ugly.'”
After being selected for dances, students attend hour-long weekly rehearsals with their choreographers to refine the dances.
“People worry about if it’s going to be too big of a commitment. It’s really nice-you can do as much or as little as you want to do,” Smith said. “You could try out for one piece and have one hour each week that you’re dancing.” Some dancers, however, perform in over a dozen dances. “It’s very much whatever you put into it is what you get out of it,” she added.
By the time the showcase began Nov. 20, dancers had put weeks of preparation into their routines. Caroline Bens, a senior who has been on the team since she was a freshman, is now the social commissioner for the company. Beginning Nov. 17, the group held multiple run-throughs to ensure the dancers and lighting and crew teams were ready for the performance. For Bens, one of the highlights is how the showcase is a student-led effort.
“We are fully student organized. During the show, we have help from the staff at Washington Hall to set everything up, but during the year, we have rehearsals for all different dances, and all the shows are put together by the different officers and helped from everyone in the company,” Bens said.
The show proved to be a success, with both performance nights selling out of tickets.
“It’s super fun to see so many people involved. We were doing bows at the end of the show, and I feel like there’s more and more people on stage,” Rood said.
With more than 130 students involved in the company, Bens helps foster community by organizing events for the dancers to get to know each other.
Smith joined the group last spring after being impressed by the fall showcase and hearing members emphasize the strength of the club’s community.
“I was debating doing it. I didn’t do it fall semester since I wanted to take a break from dance for a while, and then I had gone to their fall show, and I was like, ‘This is something I need to be a part of.’ Everyone who’s been in it says it’s the best community of people. You’re so close with everyone, so it’s really fun,” Smith said.
Freshman Evelyn Finn danced in two ballet dances during the fall showcase as a part of Ballet Club. Though not part of Notre Dame Dance Company, Finn especially enjoyed the community during show week.
“[Ballet Club] is integrated into it since they want ballet in the show. Dance Company will reach out to the Ballet Club, and then the Ballet Club always has at least one piece in the showcase. But we also do our own showcases,” Finn said. “I loved being in Dance Company’s showcase. It was a lot of hours, with dress rehearsal, but I have good friends in Ballet Club, and I hadn’t performed in a while, so I wanted to again. I had never met all the girls before and they were all so nice and welcoming.”
Rood cited the shared commitment and support among performers as a defining part of the experience.
“It’s such an amazing community of people. Everyone’s so supportive and wants the best for everyone, which I think is really amazing. It’s so fulfilling to cheer on everyone on the side of the stage and to see everyone’s hard work shine on the stage. It’s such a team effort and wouldn’t be possible without everyone in the club participating.” Rood said. “It holds such a special place in my heart. It’s the highlight of my day to see everyone and dance with everyone and get to continue doing what we love. It’s so special because you can tell that everyone who’s there wants to be there, really loves it and cares about it so much, so it’s really encouraging to be in that kind of environment.”