Rebecca MacLeod is a McGill student who has taken a major step (no pun intended) in providing students with a wonderful outlet for creative expression. She is a U2 student double-majoring in political science and international development, and she is also the founder of the Recreational Dance Company.
Rebecca is trained in jazz and lyrical styles, and she has been dancing since eighth grade in her hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. In coming to McGill, she wanted to continue dancing, but not as competitively as she did at home: “I was wanting to dance still, but I didn’t necessarily want to dance with one of the clubs at McGill because they required commitment and performances.” She also attended several classes at local studios, and took some classes with McGill athletics, but she still wasn’t satisfied in terms of prices and skill level. Frustrated after trying numerous options that weren’t satisfying her, she took matters into her own hands, and created the Recreational Dance Company at McGill. At first, it was just an idea, but with the encouragement of her friends and family, she made it into a reality!
The Recreational Dance Company started running classes last fall. It is still a very new club, but over time, it has gained an executive team of experienced dancers and enthusiastic students who come to try a wide variety of classes with diverse styles. For Rebecca, the beauty of the club is that it is structured to be open to everyone, regardless of dance level or years of experience: “We have a lot of people who have never danced before; they choose [what class they would like to attend] based on interest, and what they’re good at.” Some of the classes they offer include contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, Broadway and tap dances. The members of the executive team, who are students at McGill that have auditioned in order to teach, lead the classes at various points throughout the week at the McGill gym. With drop in classes costing $5, and a semester-long membership for just $25, Rebecca’s vision of a low-commitment, frugal, and of course very fun dance company is one that is open for all of the McGill community to enjoy.
Despite its informal structure, Rebecca and the executive team still manage to create group cohesiveness with the classes’ attendees. She explains that even though they hold bake sales once a semester to “cushion our funding”, she is hoping to organize a few events in the near future for members to get acquainted with each other: “Last year, we didn’t do much, because we were so focused on getting our club off the ground,” She reveals. “I would like to create a more friendship and team atmosphere between the people that go [to the classes].”
Rebecca’s adamancy on not having cumulative and competitive group performances, even to celebrate the holidays or for the end of the year, only further emphasizes her care for the club and its members: “One of the basis of our club is that we do not do performances and competitions. It’s also because a bunch of people have never danced before, and people are comfortable coming on a low commitment level.” Rebecca and the Recreational Dance Company want to share how dance can be a fun way to loosen up from the stresses of academia.
Now that they have become an official SSMU club, Rebecca is looking forward to further growth for the Recreational Dance Company. When I asked her what kinds of endeavors she was planning for the club, she said: “We are hoping to have a few member get-togethers, this semester and next.” Additionally, she expressed interest in potentially having the club’s executive team branch out with other dance initiatives at McGill and in greater Montreal for publicity. She also said they were in the stages of designing an official logo that may eventually be featured on t-shirts and water bottles. What was once a vision for the ideal means of finding an affordable and enjoyable way to practice dancing is now a McGill club with a very bright future ahead that we can all very easily be a part of. With her determination and leadership, Rebecca MacLeod has initiated a flourishing campus company.
Check out the Recreational Dance Company’s Facebook page to learn more about how to get involved.
Images provided by interviewee.