Name: Leah Nomkin
Year: Class of 2016
Major: Undecided
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
What made you decide to join Dance Pro?
Auditions were at the very beginning of the year, and Dance Pro was one of the things that I had heard about when I was looking at Occidental and I figured why not. I had never choreographed before and I thought it would be a good experience. I thought it would challenge myself.
What are some of the difficulties of choreographing?
Since it was my first time choreographing it’s been hard being on the other side of the dance. It’s difficult to translate what you had pictured in your mind into words and sometimes i’m not the most clear person…so there’s occasionally some difficulty in communicating my ideas with other students. But I have really great dancers and they’ve been really patient with me. Sometimes it’s hard finding time to choreograph because you have to be in the right mood, and balance it with schoolwork. Also being a freshman, I’ve never experienced Dance Pro before so everything’s new to me. It can be hard at times to instruct other dancers and answer their questions.
What else can you tell us about Dance Pro?
Dance Pro is Oxy’s largest club on campus, and the whole idea behind it is that anybody can participate in it, even if you have two left feet. Auditions are held in September and every student who auditions is guaranteed placement in at least one dance. In march, this weekend, we put on three shows for Oxy, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a great way to meet new people from all class years and to learn some pretty sweet dance moves.
What kinds of dance styles will audiences see in the show?
You’ll see pretty much everything. The dances range from hip hop to tap to irish step dancing to hula. We got it all covered.
What would you say to students who are considering signing up for Dance Pro next year?
I’d say definitely do it. People say that you haven’t experienced Oxy until you’ve been in Dance Pro or at least seen the show.
What made you choose Oxy?
When I went to admitted students day, I could picture myself attending this school. Something just clicked with me. Actually I got lost and I ran into a student who helped me to a class. That sounds weird but getting lost really helped because I was forced to ask Oxy students for directions and realized everyone here was super friendly. I hadn’t experienced that at the other schools I had visited.
When you’re not practicing for Dance Pro, what do you do in your freetime?
Normal stuff, I like to hang out with friends and eat exquisite cuisine at the market place. Also I’ll go to the gym and work out or attend a Zumba class. To be honest I don’t have much freetime because Dance Pro is a pretty big commitment, plus I do schoolwork for my classes.
Do you intend on incorporating dance into your life? Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I don’t think I’ll incorporate dance into my profession, but I hope to always have dance in my life, even if just as a hobby. I see myself as employed and living on my own outside of Arizona.