Students anxiously chatted, stretched and warmed up as they waited to audition for the Columbia Renegades Dance Team.
Team captains evaluated students from all majors and skill levels on the second floor dance studios at 916 S. Wabash Ave. on Monday, Sept. 14.
“I’m excited for new ideas,” said Ana Merchant, a senior musical theatre major and one of three captains of the team. “It’s nice to see when students come in and they have different ideas for dances and styles of dance that they would like to put on for our performance at the end of the semester.”
For some students, joining the team gave them a chance to connect to dance.
“I danced all the time growing up, but recently I just haven’t been in it as much,” said first-year arts and entertainment management major Isabelle Gradler. “I wanted to get into an environment with people my age that are in a similar situation.”
Peyton Vines, a first-year double major in film and television and acting for stage and screen, said she couldn’t fit a dance class into her schedule due to the demands of her coursework. Vines was excited to find another way to still explore her passion for dance.
“I’ve been dancing since I was four, and since I didn’t want to do a dance major and I can’t fit dance classes into my schedule, the dance team seemed like a good choice,” she said.
Senior acting for stage and screen major Ariana Dennis has been dancing with the team for three years and has always loved the openness of the team.
“I feel like everyone forgets that dance is a thing and that they could do dance even if they’re not a dance major,” Dennis said. “So it’s like, don’t worry, you can do it too. Everyone can do it.”
Vines was already looking forward to what a semester working with the dance team could hold.
“They seem like a dream to be around. I saw them perform at Convocation and it was awesome seeing them move together as a team. So it seems like it’s gonna be good.”
Vines hopes that the team will be a refuge when class becomes too stressful.
“Dance has always been my safe space. So what I’m really hoping for is a nice community, a safe space and a place for me to express myself.”
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