March 12-15, 13 dance majors attended dance classes, presentations and performances at the American College Dance Association (ACDA).

Each year, ACDA holds regional conferences around the United States for university and college dance programs. Dancers at these conferences spend 8am-10:30pm taking classes from professionals, performing and getting professional feedback, and watching other dance programs perform.

Two student pieces and one faculty piece performed at the conference:

“Mirage,” choreographed by senior dance major, Kelleigh Harman-Macintosh                                     “Eat your salad before it gets cold.,” choreographed by senior dance major, Kelsee Simons         “Better Out Than In,” choreographed by full-time faculty member, Sarah Cullen Fuller

This year’s conference was held at Anderson University in Indiana. Faculty members, Sarah Cullen Fuller, Sandra Kaufmann and Amy Wilkinson, and sophomore theatre major and Stage Manager, Madeline Scott, accompanied the dancers.

Keep reading to hear what some of the dance majors had to say about their experiences at ACDA, and check out the video created by Amy Wilkinson to get a behind-the-scenes look at the conference.

Kelsee Simons:

ACDA was a transformative experience this year. I had the chance to take class with college-aged dancers from all over the Midwest, as well as watch these dancers perform on stage. I find it easy to get caught up in Loyola’s dance program, so it was eye opening to see what my peers at other schools are doing. It is great to know that people from all different backgrounds can come together in support of one commonality: dance. I loved seeing the artistry of different universities and colleges expressed through such different movement styles and dancers

The piece I choreographed, “Eat your salad before it gets cold.” was presented at one of the adjudicated concerts, and I received great feedback from everyone at the conference. It was a crazy and unforgettable experience to showcase my work alongside so many other amazing pieces as a college undergrad. Having the opportunity to watch work created by other undergraduate students was such a blessing, and I truly appreciated the level of risk-taking seen in so many of the young choreographers.

Maria Blanco:

ACDA was a super awesome time where I was able to dance not only with my peers, but also with training dancers from around the country. I explored different types of movement styles that I don’t often get to experience. It was wonderful to use the skills I have been taught at Loyola as a base and foundation for every class I took.

The highlights of my class experience were present in the Afro-Latin fusion and hip-hop classes I took. I am not able to move in those ways every day, but they constitute some of the most joyful dancing for me! I got to wear my hair down, groove and jam, and I was so happy to move and create movement. Thank you ACDA, and thank you Loyola Dance Theatre for always giving me so many awesome opportunities to move!

Check out this behind-the-scenes footage of ACDA (Video credit: Amy Wilkinson):