From left to right, VDC members Leah Owensby, Ally Shepherd, and Nicole Heydari.
perform at their 2nd annual Fall showcase on Friday, November 22nd in the Creative Movement Studio.
The Vitality Dance Company performed their second showcase in the new Creative Movement Studio on Friday and Saturday of last weekend on Texas Tech campus.
The showcase included multiple dance routines performed by the company members, each displaying a wide range of talent and style, from elegant and graceful to fast-paced and energetic. The admission was free and raffles were held for gift baskets and other items in between the performances.
Members of the VDC originally choreographed each routine. They were cleaned and perfected by advisors and peers over time, but it was the student dancers who created them.
Stephanie Casey, a Junior Honors Arts and Letters major, is the founder and president of Vitality Dance Company. She said the performance area in the new building was better for the dancers because it was closer to the audience and more on their level, as opposed to having to perform at the Allen Theater. This was also the first showcase where there was professional stage lighting, adding to the mood each performance was intended to create.
VDC is a relatively new student-run organization, but the tryouts are quite rigorous as they quickly meet their capacity for potential candidates.
Casey said on top of choreographing, the dancers also have to tryout with each other to be allowed into a routine, and that a member needs to have a background in dance due to the amount of technique thrown at them.
“We work the technique, but we expect you to have an idea of the technique”, Casey said.
Students interested in trying out for the company don’t need to be dance majors. They can be graduate or undergraduate students in any field who are willing to dedicate their time to preparing for the VDC performances.
Casey said the members range from those who use dance as a hobby to those who are looking to take dance to a professional level of performance, so the amount of dedication is up to the individual member. However, their practices require at least four hours a week from the dancers.
Nicole Wesley, the VDC faculty advisor and an associate professor of dance at Texas Tech, said that many of the girls join to dance as a hobby or to relieve stress. She said as their majors and career fields dominate their lives, they no longer have time to dance. She said most of the girls turn into some of the biggest supporters and advocates of the arts and dancing companies like the VDC.
“This is something that they do to feed their spirits, and I think it’s fantastic”, Wesley said.
Auditions are generally held at the beginning of each semester, depending on how close to capacity their membership is. Members are also expected to maintain a 2.5 or higher GPA.
For more information about the Vitality Dance Company, you can find them on Facebook.
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