The San Jacinto College South Campus dance team is attending The American College Dance Festival at the University of Texas in Austin March 12 through 15.
South campus is the only campus that has an organized dance team, and Dance Professor Diane Bedford will take 12 students to the festival.
”The purpose of the festival is to come together with other college dance programs,” Bedford said, “take dance classes in a variety of styles; learn from different instructors outside your own program….”
The College dance team has attended and performed at the festival for over eight years. Bedford said students have the chance to learn new techniques and dances, as well as the opportunity to perform pieces that will be critiqued.
“We attend the festival to take classes, experience new teachers and styles of dance, and perform to receive professional feedback on choreography,” Bedford said.
Additionally, Bedford said each year the dance team takes three pieces of individual work to submit for criticism. This year, Bedford and two student choreographers will present their own work for adjudication.
According to Bedford, all adjudicated pieces of work receive feedback and critiques, but the best pieces are selected to perform again at the Gala concert at the end of the festival.
“This year,” she said, “pieces from the Gala concert will then be selected for performance at the National Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. this summer.”
Bedford added, the College dance team prepares and looks forward to the dance festival every spring.
“The dancers and I are tremendously excited for the festival,” she said, “and it is one of the highlights of our year!”