I did not think I was going to go to the American College Dance Association in Madison, Wisconsin. There was only one last open spot on Thursday the week before, and I feel fortunate that I could experience this opportunity for less of an expense. To describe my time in Madison, ACDA was truly a dream come true. At this convention, any school can go and showcase dances from current or past years, and students not only watch those dances, but take classes from qualified professionals in the dance field. Going to a dance convention made me feel like I could escape reality for a few days. I was learning two to three dances a day and watched about 50 dance performances by the end of the convention. I became closer with and got to know my peers and professors. After going to the convention, I learned so much more about modern dance, and I discovered new ideas that I would like to apply to future dances. Winona is one of the few schools that doesn’t offer dance as a major, but it does offer a minor. I think this trip also made me think for a minute about how cool it would be if dance were my major.
This trip was perfect in timing because I knew most of my classes were doing things that I didn’t need to be in class for. The first day, Wednesday, we left early in the morning, and I rode in the same car as Professor Cohenour, which was super cool because I felt like I got to know her much more personally through this trip. The car ride was long, and the group of Winona vehicles was always close to each other for group reasons. The cars made a stop at some gas station where there was a bathroom and Subway. Throughout this trip, I spent so much money on food. We stayed at University Wisconsin-Madison, and we were right next to Main Street that went down to the Capitol. I spent at least $20 a day, if not more, because of the temptation for Cold Stone every night.
The first class, which I took with another dancer named Chay, was African and Diasporic Contemporary with Kevin Ormsby. The instructor had a great personality. What I loved about this dance was that we didn’t learn a specific beat. Everyone had their own timing, and I’ve never experienced that in a dance class before. It was a strange kind of beautiful that everyone was moving to their own pace and vision. I loved the arm and leg movement incorporated into the dancing. It usually requires a load of energy, and I like that.
I kind of regret not going to any morning class. As a student, I was required to go to at least three events every day, which I did, but sleep seemed more important to my well-being. I didn’t even bother bringing homework because I knew I’d have zero time. I was required to go to all the “adjudication concerts,” where all adjudicators were at a panel, judging each performance to decide if they would perform at the gala, which would be the very last performance. The dances that go to the gala have the chance to go to Nationals. I was very happy for my school, because “Xx” was one of the chosen dances to perform in the gala. Even though they weren’t picked for Nationals, I am happy to be a part of Winona State’s Dance Department. I could not have felt prouder for my school.
I thought a dance called “Justify” was cool because it was one of the only dances that I watched with tap. They had a glow of light on the projection screen behind them that I thought was a simple, nice addition to its performance. I liked that it seemed to be a “fun” dance and maybe it didn’t have a big meaning to it. Another dance that looked superb was “Elemental.” I didn’t realize it right away, but once I thought about Avatar, I realized every person in the dance represented an element: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. I tortured myself at every dance I watched to try to figure out its meaning. One of my favorite pieces was “Mommie Queerest.” Maybe I am a little biased because I’ve seen that song in a dance video before by one of my favorite choreographers, but the performer on that solo did an amazing job on the comedic standpoint. The “don’t you fuck with me” line was hilarious, and it required a lot of acting, but I thought it was amazing and his use of facials was spot on.
I don’t know if I can share every dance take-away from the convention, but some I took away were what looked good and what didn’t. I heard from Winona State students that Daniel Stark was amazing, so I was prepared for something fantastic when “Peak” performed. I knew that in the dance two people were using flashlights as the spotlights, but I didn’t realize that those two lights were the only lights in the entire dance until I overheard Erinn Liebhard discussing it with other students. The use of flashlights is such a unique idea, and it looked so good. I loved the shadows on the back-screen, and the use of lines with a big cast was cool. The flashlights were a nice touch also because the audience would know exactly what to focus on. Another dance I thoroughly enjoyed was called “Substance.” I remember some people didn’t like the dance because it was “common.” The dance was a simple slow and lyrical dance, but there was something so radiant and beautiful about it that makes you continue watching the dance. The technique was well done also, and sometimes pretty technique and emotion is all that can represent an art. I felt goosebumps toward the end and it made me nostalgic.
Some of my favorite classes I took included hip-hop, contemporary/lyrical, and musical theatre. I haven’t taken a hip-hop class in about a year, so this class was much needed for myself. I loved the instructor! He kept repeating the phrase “no stress” to depict the message that this class is for the purpose to dance and have fun. No one cares if you mess up. I messed up so many times, but I felt so comfortable I did the dance combo in a small group in front of everyone. The song choice was perfect, and I am so glad I decided to take this class. It was either hip-hop or jazz in heels. On that same day, I took a musical theatre dance class where we danced to Hairspray. I had a harder time in the class trying to memorize the dance steps. We spent a lot of time in the class learning a smaller combo and used the remaining twenty minutes on the Hairspray combo. I had recorded groups dancing the combo, and I still watch it today to remember the steps. On Friday, I joined a lyrical/contemporary class. I was the only dancer in the class from Winona State because most students were rehearsing to perform “Xx” and “Ask the Moon” that day. Because I wasn’t in either of those dances, I got to go to a class of my choice at their rehearsal time. I fell in love with this class because it was my first contemporary/lyrical class. It was intense, fast, and mesmerizing. It was exactly what I wanted to take.
One of the classes that I feel is important to mention here is ballet. I took a ballet technique class on Saturday, and that was the first ballet class I’ve taken in eight years. I used to be a part of Tacoma City Ballet, so I recognized many of the words, but I couldn’t match the movements to the names. Taking this class made me regret that I stopped ballet. Ballet is so beautiful, yet has rigorous technique. It is so specific, and I should’ve made the time to continue classes after I moved to Minnesota. I’ve lost the technique for it, and it made remembering the combos and movements harder for myself. I enjoyed the ballet with a contemporary twist class at the end because it allowed me to loosen up the structure of ballet, which I’ve done over the past years in dance.
One of my favorite times on this trip was sitting at dinner with everyone Saturday night before the faculty concert. I loved sitting at the same table with all my professors. I got to learn some things about them, and it was so easy to discuss the dances and the feedback “Xx” received. I’ll never forget Gretchen quotes such as “puppy porn” and “Avoid drugs. Be natural.” I really hope someone makes a t-shirt for that. Another one of my favorite events was the dance party. At the end of the day on Friday, ACDA had pizza and ice cream for all the dancers. It was in one of their bigger open dance rooms. There was a DJ and it looked like an average high-school dance, but it was so much fun. Our small Winona group created one of the dance circles of the night.
During the trip, some of Winona’s students participated in the March For Our Lives to the Capitol. I thought that was really cool that some of the students from my campus took a break from the convention and classes to stand up for what they believed in. I was walking from the hotel to one of the morning classes when I ran into the protest on my way. Crowds kept shouting, “NRA Has Got to Go!” Even though I did not walk through or with the march, just walking past such a movement left an impact on me. People can deny it all they want, but marches do make a difference.
I am so thankful to have had this amazing opportunity and to join the bandwagon last minute. I cannot be grateful enough for ACDA and its influence on me. It made me realize how much bodies together are art, and it is so beautiful. I loved escaping reality and living through dance, and it’s something that I wish I could do every day.