Through the doors of Ina Gitting’s room 124 are the sounds of joy, laughter and community, accompanied by music and a stampede of excited footsteps.
The School of Dance’s popular general education course, DNC100 ‘Looking at Dance,’ AKA Dance 100 is drawing in students from schools all over campus to dive into the world of dance.
The course, with about 300 students, provides an opportunity for students to learn about dance history and put their learning into physical practice at the studio. Throughout the course, students learn about western theater dance in styles like disco, ballet, modern, and jazz through lectures and by trying the movement out for themselves.
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A positive, welcoming atmosphere
Wildcats have been taking Dance 100 since the 90’s with Sam Watson, the creator of the course, said Erika Julian. As the course’s current instructor, Julian starts out with disco at the beginning of the semester to create a positive, welcoming atmosphere.
“They don’t really know that there’s a studio aspect of this class until they get in, then they go to the studio and they’re usually pretty nervous,” she said. “Disco is very joyful and fun, so it helps people be vulnerable and have a shared experience with each other.”
For 19-year-old Lainey Liebig, the studio days came as a total surprise, she said.
While on a zoom call with her advisor to talk about general education requirements for pre-nursing, she was told, “You should give this dance class a shot because a lot of people end up liking it.”
“I was like, ‘Okay, well, do I have to dance?’” she said. “And he said no–so I took the class and I was like, ‘Oh…we actually have to dance.’ But I couldn’t be happier, now it’s my favorite class.”
The challenges the dancing initially posed has allowed Liebig to grow, she said.
‘I’m not very coordinated’
“I grew up playing soccer, so I’m not very coordinated in dance,” she said. “I tend to get embarrassed when I dance, but I definitely think this class has helped me be more open to dancing and I’ve felt more comfortable ever since we started doing it.”
Logan Grimes, an 18-year-old student majoring in business management, said being in the studio has been his favorite part of the class.
“We come here every other week and it’s a great time, especially because everyone’s at different levels,” he said. “I am learning different dances that I’ve never learned before with a bunch of different people who either are experienced, that can teach you, or we’re learning it all together and having a great time.”
Julian said that any student can learn something new from the course, adding that the joyful class also teaches students the importance of accountability.
Creating lifelong memories
Most of all, she said the class has created lifelong memories for students.
“I see them coming out of their shell more, especially when they recognize that they’re figuring this out together,” she said. “I’ve had some students come back and tell me that they met some of their best friends in this class and that it was the best class that they’ve taken.”
The course has also been an outlet for students to rekindle their passion for dance.
Isabella Rodriguez, a student in communications, said the course has given her the opportunity to find dance again after childhood classes.
“It’s nice to be in a space that’s memorable,” she said. “I’m doing the same movements that I used to, which it’s just fun to be around.”
The course pools together people from all over campus in a variety of majors. Still, each of them can use skills from Dance 100 and apply it to their majors.
A new level of determination
As a business major, Robert Connell, 18, said the challenges of being new to dance has brought a new level of determination to his studies.
“If I’m ever struggling with anything, [I’ve learned] to keep working hard at it because all this is new to me,” he said. “I’m going to have new classes when I get further into my degree that are going to be hard for me– I just have to keep working and not give up.”
Julian noted that dance can teach anyone how to be confident in themselves, no matter what they study.
“On a very fundamental level, they’re learning how to present themselves, so I think that people end up with more self-confidence because they know that they can do hard things,” she said.
She added that dance is, and will continue to be, for everyone.
“We’ve put dance in this box where you have to be this uber-talented human to move your body to music,” she said. “But you don’t.”