Organization Spotlight: Emerson Dance Company

In an effort to connect with the Emerson community more directly, we are taking our articles into the organizations that are so loved by the students at Emerson. These organizations work year-round to benefit the community in a number of different ways, and we at Her Campus at Emerson want to recognize the hard-work and dedication that go into running each and every one of them. In this article, we will be featuring the Emerson Dance Company (EDC). 

The Emerson Dance Company was founded in 2007, and is now one of the largest collegiate dance organizations in the country. In the fall semester, they had 70 dancers. Currently, the organization’s executive board is made up of seven members: 

• President: Noelle Tardiff – Senior, WLP

• Vice President: Lauren Bjella – Sophomore, Journalism

• Secretary: Monica Petrucci – Senior, WLP

• Programming Director: Isabella Rosete – Senior, VMA

• Treasurer: Jack Lynch – Junior, Musical Theater

• Marketing Director: Victoria Torres – Junior, Policomm and WLP double major

• Company Relations Chair: Gabby Portugal – Sophomore, WLP

These executive board members are accompanied by three general board members and 17 choreographers. President Noelle Tardiff explained that “the great thing about EDC is that it’s always growing and changing as we have so many creative and talented individuals involved. No two showcases are alike, and that’s something we’re very proud of!”

Each semester, the organization holds auditions, at which, about 100 students typically come out. This process includes both new and returning members to the organization and from the auditions, different student choreographers are chosen to work on the original pieces for the semester. The organization prides itself on offering a wide range of styles and difficulty in their movements. They love being able to combine the talents of both new and trained dancers and they have performed numbers in the genres of tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, modern, lyrical, and ballet. 

Typically, the company rents the Semel Theater and performs a showcase, in which all of the pieces are performed after their semester long rehearsals. They perform the showcase two times in the same night, which is usually a show at 6:00 PM and another at 8:00 PM. Both of the shows sell out frequently and even though it is exhausting for some of the performers, everyone in the show loves being able to perform the work they have practiced all semester. 

Additionally, they bring in professional companies from around Boston to teach master classes once every semester. They love getting to be able to work with professional dance companies and learning about new styles of dance that are not offered within Emerson’s dance curriculum. These classes are open to everyone as well if you are interested in learning more about a particular type of dance. 

This semester, the club has more choreographers than they have had in the past, so they are excited for the final outcome of the pieces. All of which will come to fruition at the end of the semester during their April showcase. In addition to their showcase, they also make sure to hold a welcome event for all of their members who will be working on the different pieces for the semester’s duration. The members of EDC love performing, and the work that goes into the showcases is something that all the members are proud of. Nicole made it a point to mention that, “The sense of community that we have is amazing, and being able to dance, create, and learn with your friends is by far the best part of this organization.” This sense of community is also something they are looking to emphasise this year. Because the organization is upwards of 70 members, it can be hard for members of different performance pieces to connect and get to know one another despite the close-knit relationships they have within their own pieces. They have a lot of plans for how to have company wide engagement and can’t wait to execute them! In the past, they were able to run a student-led master class and had a great turn out. The company would love to do more of these events, and plan on doing so to promote bonding between their members. 

President Noelle Tardiff explained that “Something that a lot of people love about EDC is that you can choose your level of involvement. If you’re super busy and want to only be in one piece and rehearse for two hours a week, EDC is perfect for you! If you want to choreograph, be in four pieces, and rehearse five days per week, EDC is also perfect for you.”

Finally, we asked Noelle how she would describe EDC, to which she responded: “I would describe EDC as fun, rewarding, and collaborative. Even though we’re working hard at every single rehearsal, we also have so much fun trying all different kinds of movement, learning from our peers, and expressing ourselves in a way that we all love. So many of us in EDC use this company, and dance in general, as a sort of release and escape from the stress of school, work, and life, and I’m personally very happy that our company is able to provide that kind of space to such a large number Emerson students. We all come from varying dance backgrounds, so seeing over 70 different dancers’ perspectives on movement and art come together to create one showcase is incredible.”

If you are looking to learn more be sure to email edc.prez@gmail.com to get information. While Spring auditions have already passed, there will be more auditions in the fall if you are looking to join. To keep up with the fall audition announcements, be sure to follow them on their social channels: Emconnect, Facebook, Instagram (@emersondanceco), and YouTube (EmersonDanceCompany). The company also runs master classes that are open to all Emerson students that will be announced on their social channels as well. Finally, be sure to go to EDC’s showcase on Sunday, April 12th to see what they have been working on all semester! 

 

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