Morgan Havel is a senior on campus who has become accustomed to balancing her school work alongside her passion for dance. She has been dancing for 11 years and has not once gotten bored of pop, locking, or dropping it. Dancing is Morgan’s escape, and as long as there is a fun atmosphere and some popular hits playing out loud, you can find Morgan jamming to her own beat.
Morgan is a part of Illini N Motion, a dance team on campus consisting of hip-hop and contemporary dance styles such as Jazz, tap, Ballet, and Lyrical. Illini N Motion is a community who gathers outside the dance studio for bi-annual fundraisers and exchanges with other campus clubs. Morgan puts in hours of work and her own choreography into these routines that are performed at half-time shows at volleyball and basketball games, as well as RSO events and other sport happenings. I asked Morgan what her thoughts were on her Illini N Motion experience over the past four years. She responded that she was so thankful she joined four years ago and said “Illini N Motion isn’t just a dance group, but a group of girls that I’ve gotten to know and love over the years. I’m so happy I’ve been able to continue dancing through college and have formed such a close bond with girls that I otherwise probably wouldn’t have crossed paths with. I don’t look at dance practice each week as if it’s eating up my time, but rather a nice break from everything to enjoy doing what I love.”
Putting in hours of practice a week on top of Morgan’s social life, school work, other club meetings, and getting proper sleep has taught her to prioritize any spare time she can find. Morgan wakes up at the crack of dawn Monday-Thursday and student teaches at a local high school to pursue her dream of becoming a special education teacher. Additionally, Morgan was one of the philanthropy chairs for her sorority which, as the girls can attest, took up a lot of time and effort in order to produce a successful event. Morgan claims that staying busy and having all of these commitments on her plate are what motivates her to keep pushing forward. Illini N Motion has given Morgan new friendships in addition to being able to showcase all of the hard work she’s put forth over the past four years. Cheers to you, Morgan!