Welcome to Gustavus Adolphus College’s Student Stories Series!
American College Dance Association North-Central Conference Attendee
Major: Exercise Physiology
Minor: Public Health
What was/is your career opportunity/experience (i.e. internship, shadowing experience, research)?
I went to ACDA Conference in Stevens Point, WI, which stands for American College Dance Association. The event included master classes from all genres of dance, as well as the opportunity to watch choreographed dances from collegiate students and faculty.
How did you get the opportunity/experience? What steps did you take to achieve this?
This opportunity was presented to me through the Theater and Dance department at Gustavus.
Tell us more about your accomplishment.
The American College Dance Association holds an annual conference in various regions of the country. We attended the North-Central conference, which was held in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Many colleges from the Midwest attend. The conference consists of dance classes of varying styles taught by professors from the different colleges in attendance, undergraduate and graduate students’ dance-based research presentations, informal showings of dances, and adjudicated concerts, which entails student and professor/guest artist dances that are given feedback on by a panel of professionals in the dance industry.
Who were some of the people who helped you most at Gustavus to get this opportunity? What did you learn from them?
The people who helped me were Jill Patterson, Sarah Hauss, and Kristi Borowy. They presented me with this opportunity and also mentioned the Engaged Learning Fund as a possible funding source, so I could attend this conference free of financial stress!
How did the Engaged Learning Funds help you be able to complete this experience?
These funds covered all of my expenses, like the cost of registration for this experience, travel and accommodations, as well as food and drink.
Anything else you want to share about your experience working with Career Development?
The staff involved with this fund are easy to work with and are super helpful in answering questions. They also got back to me with a response to my Engaged Learning Fund application swiftly!
How have you applied things you’ve learned here at Gustavus to this opportunity?
The exciting part about ACDA is the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the dance culture including taking dance classes, listening to research presentations, and watching both formal and informal dance concerts. So, a big skill I have learned from my time here at Gustavus is pushing myself. Even when I am taking a class in a style of dance I have never tried before, I make sure to stay focused, keep persevering, and that practice makes perfect. Another skill I have gotten good at is communication and critical thinking, especially with talking about dance. After each of the concerts it is a tradition to get together and discuss what everyone thought about the dances. It’s a good way to work on active listening and to even hear ideas or meanings for the dances that you hadn’t thought about before.
