Students on their toes
by Allison Adams
reporter

   Students who love to dance now have that opportunity on South Campus through a new dance company that began this semester under the direction of Staussa Ervin, psychology instructor.
   Auditions were in late January. Fourteen women and one man were chosen to participate in this 15-member group.
   Students are studying and performing several types of dance, including classical ballet, hip-hop and jazz. Clogging, tap and African-American styles of dance will be added later in the semester.
   The dance company is made up of students from all different fields.
   Some students are theater art majors, and others are history or social work majors. Some are part-time students with jobs, and others are full-time students.
   “ This group is about loving to dance,” Danyel Rios, secretary-historian for the company, said.
   “ I always had a dream to express myself in dance, it’s a goal,” Paula Rutherford said.
   Rutherford is a social work major and took Jazz I at TCC. She plans on performing for the company until she completes her education at TCC.
   The company had its first performance last week at the Multicultural Festival on South Campus. They performed a jazz piece to Britney Spears’ Slave For You.
   The group had its second performance the next day at a Women’s History Month event. During that event, the company performed a lyrical piece to a song written by a TCC student.
   Also, the group will perform at the South Campus Spring Fling April 7 and at a Women In New Roles Jazz Festival April 14, where they will perform three selections from the musical Chicago.
   “ This is the performance where the dancers get to show off their choreography skills,” Rios said of the upcoming Chicago performance.
   “ It will be an exciting, wonderful, innovative, energetic piece,” Ervin said.
   At the Spring Fling, members of the company will sponsor a dance contest between students and faculty. Students who want to participate can sign up that day; faculty must sign up in advance.
   Ervin provides the majority of the choreography, but each member has the opportunity to contribute. Ervin wanted to provide the opportunity for students on South Campus to express themselves creatively and to contribute to the campus community and to the mission of the campus.
   Ervin is a member of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre II.
   Everett Jackson, the one male member for the dance company, is the president for the group.
   The campus company will hold several fund-raisers this semester, including a cell phone drive.
   In between performances, the company will participate in various community out-reach programs.
   Auditions are closed for summer but will open again during the fall semester.