Welcome to Gustavus Adolphus College’s Student Stories Series!
American College Dance Association North Central Conference Performer
Major: Biochemistry; Molecular Biology
What was/is your career opportunity?
ACDA (America College Dance Association) holds conferences across the country each year, and Gustavus attends the North Central Conference. This year the North Central conference will be hosted at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Gustavus has consistently attended each year, and I have had the opportunity to attend the conference during my first and second years at Gustavus. Every school brings dances choreographed by students and faculty to be performed in the adjudicated concert and informal concert.
How did you get the opportunity/experience? What steps did you take to achieve this?
Each year the dance department brings students to ACDA and performs two pieces on behalf of Gustavus in the adjudicated concert. Students also have the opportunity to take a variety of classes and learn from faculty who teach at other universities or colleges. I attended and performed at ACDA my first and second years at Gustavus. I had a great experience, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to go again my senior year.
Tell us more about your accomplishment (include title, role, location, program, etc.)
I’ve had the opportunity to perform on behalf of Gustavus in both, and this year I will be part of one of the adjudicated pieces that was choreographed by Professor Sarah Hauss (faculty member in the Theater and Dance Department at Gustavus). The adjudicated concerts are critiqued by three adjudicators who are accomplished dancers and choreographers. Every school gets feedback on their work, and the top ten pieces are announced at the end of the conference. The performance component of ACDA revolves around feedback, and it is very worthwhile to hear the suggestions that the adjudicators have to help improve our artistry and performance.
The other responsibility I will have at ACDA in addition to performing in the adjudicated concert will be to take classes and attend seminars. This is a really enriching experience, and from my time at ACDA in past years I can say it is one of the best ways for me to push myself out of my comfort zone and learn new things. There are usually four class blocks each day, and they are offered in all styles from professors at each of the colleges/universities that are attending the conference. Cultural dance practices, such as Afro-Cuban dance, are taught in some of the classes, and experiencing those dance forms is a great way to expand my knowledge and global perspective on dance.
Additionally we have the opportunity to watch the adjudicated concerts. This year there will be five concerts. So, when I am not performing or taking class I will be watching the pieces that other schools bring to the conference and learning from their work.
So, my primary responsibilities will be to perform in the adjudicated concert, attend the rehearsals/stage blocking before the concert, attend classes each day, and watch the concerts with pieces performed by other colleges/universities attending. There will be both small liberal arts colleges and larger state universities in attendance, which makes it a great opportunity to meet other dance students and to learn from them.
Who were some of the people who helped you most at Gustavus to get this opportunity? What did you learn from them?
Our dance professors encourage us to always seek out opportunities to keep learning, and ACDA is a great way to do this. Every year they coordinate the trip, and we really appreciate their dedication!
How did the Engaged Learning Funds help you be able to complete this experience?
I am very appreciative to the Engaged Learning funds as they helped cover my meals and parking at the conference.
How have you applied things you’ve learned here at Gustavus to this opportunity? (i.e., Career & Self Development, Communication, Critical Thinking, Equity & Inclusion, Leadership, Professionalism, Teamwork, Technology)
Alongside performing, I had the opportunity to take many different dance classes while at the conference. They were all taught by dance faculty at other schools, and this helped me gain new perspectives that I brought back with me to Gustavus. ACDA fuels creativity, which I’ve been able to build on and apply to the performances I am involved in at Gustavus as well as to my degree in science.
