A Tale of Two Dancers

March 26, 2010 at 10:23am by Marianne Bartman

The Making and Breaking of Couples Dance

by Cricket Oles '10

  • The Bulldog Press
  • March 2010

The first time I saw Judge's Spring Dance Concert my freshman year I was inspired by the ease in which the dancers moved. At that moment, I vowed to myself I would audition for dance concert the following year. Sophomore year came, and Junior year followed and still I had not managed to audition for the Spring Dance Concert. This past year however, being a senior, I realized I owed to myself to follow through with my promise. I signed my name, last spot on the list, to be a part of the couples dance.

The first practice the butterflies in my stomach began flying with excitement. Mind you, I am not a novice to dance. I took ballet for seven years when I was younger but unfortunately had to quit due to time issues (and a mean teacher). But here I was, 6:30 in the morning in the Judge dance studio, ready to dance again.

I am not the only one new to this whole experience however. My partner Oliver Diamond is also a fish out of water. Oliver, also known as one the best swimmers in the state, agreed to spend three hours a week for four months busting a move. The transition of swimmer to dancer was a bit tricky. After all, the state swim meet occupied the majority of his time and I was left with no partner for about a week and a half. All has worked out however.

Other seniors, Katie Hoskins, Laura Watson and Gordon Warlamount have also jumped in to Couples Dance to experience the life of a dancer.

"I've wanted to do Dance Concert since my sophomore year, but my dance skills are little lacking." laughs Katie Hoskins, "That's why Couples' is so great. It's more of a 'let's just see what this random mix of people can do.'

After Katie's original partner had to drop out, she was a bit discouraged. However, senior Griffin Rowland stepped up to the plate. "Well, I was already doing the lifting dance so I figured Couples' wouldn't be too bad. It's actually really fun."

To anyone who does not consider dance hard, I encourage you to put complete trust in your partner while they suspend you above air for eight counts. It's harder than it looks. I will be the first to admit that I have fallen from this lift. After a quick laugh with Oliver, we got back up and finished the dance.

Dancers, like any other group, tend to stick with other dancers. I, along with the other novice dancers, walked in to the dance studio on the first day unaware of the reactions we would receive for never having danced before. However, if I had any preconceived notions about the type of girls dancers are, I almost immediately dispelled them. I was welcomed by the returning dancers and have been encouraged to do better every rehearsal.

Despite the hard work, it has been a lot of fun. Oliver, although not a morning person, is always quick with his wit and breaks up the homogeny of the rehearsal with a quick joke or two. Laura and Gordon are just, well, Laura and Gordon. They are a great couple and have terrific dynamics. Katie Hoskins, although losing her partner at the beginning, has overcome that challenge and is now able to 'bust a move'.

My advice to returning students next year? Take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. You will learn not only more about other people, but you may just learn something about yourself, too.

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