“I really missed being able to dance during our pandemic schooling and so the fact we actually get to put on a show again and people get to watch everything that we’ve done and all the work we have put into it,” Luca said. “That’s definitely really rewarding.”
On Nov. 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. The Society of Dance Arts will put on a dance recital in the Baldwin Hall Auditorium. The event is free. The recital will have performances from the TSODA dance groups, the Showgirls, The High Street Dance Team and the Illusion Danz team.
TSODA is a dance organization on campus and offers student-led classes year round. They have groups practicing hip-hop, jazz, contemporary and ballet.
“One of the other things that I think is really important about TSODA is the fact that there are people from a lot of different backgrounds and you get to meet people that you might not normally meet,” Kate Luca, president of TSODA, said. “We have a pretty good mix of different majors and different people and I think that is really cool,”
Luca is the organizer of the event. She is tasked with scheduling performances and making sure the night runs smoothly. Luca is in four performances and is the choreographer for TSODA’s contemporary group.
Since she was young, Luca has been dancing and said TSODA has made a major impact on her during her time at Truman.
“I really missed being able to dance during our pandemic schooling and so the fact we actually get to put on a show again and people get to watch everything that we’ve done and all the work we have put into it,” Luca said. “That’s definitely really rewarding.”
Leading up to the performance, choreographers can send in emails, called bids, that contain the class they want to teach plus the song, dance and previous choreographing experience. The bids that go through are voted on by the TSODA executive board. Then the choreographers set practice times in the Campus Recreation Center which anyone can join. After the recital, all the dance groups go on breaks until the second semester when the process repeats itself.
Luca’s first time choreographing a dance was spring of 2020, but because of COVID-19 the dance was never performed. She says she was able to use that experience to grow and learn as a teacher and a choreographer.
“We all get to share our love of dance and ideally, it’s a challenge for everyone, so new dancers can grow as well as the experienced ones, and I think that’s really important,” Luca said.
According to Luca, the hardest part of organizing this event is making sure the times work for everyone. She also said it’s difficult to plan something of this scale after taking such a long break. The last time they had a recital was fall 2019.
Brianna Ottenwess, TSODA production manager, has worked with each choreographer and dance group with music selection, timing and costumes.
Ottenwess said this position is a new experience for her.
“This is the first recital that I’ve been a production manager for but I’m really excited [for] afterwards when I can look back at the recordings and be like, ‘Wow, I did that’,” Ottenwess said.
Ottenwess enjoys the performance aspect of TSODA. She credits that for what originally drew her to join.
Ottenwess also loves the comradery of being in TSODA, as well as the variety of dances they get to perform.
“It’s really amazing to see everyone come together and start from scratch, whether they were experienced or non experienced,” Ottenwess said. “It’s a brand new dance every semester and it’s really great when you get to showcase that.”
According to her, the varying levels of experience in the teams don’t create any hindrance to the experience.
The TSODA executive board performs a dance together at the recital as well. Luca is the main choreographer.
“I think [Luca] is doing a great job at supervising the other executive positions and I think the other executive positions are doing a good job at communicating with her,” Ottenwess said.
After this performance, TSODA will go on a short break before starting classes next semester. The process will then restart and the groups will begin practicing for the spring recital.
Members of TSODA are excited to show the Truman community what they can do.
“Come see the show, it’ll only be about an hour and you’ll get to see a lot of fun dances,” Luca said. “I hope people find it entertaining.”