E-Board: Vanessa Scott, Vanessa Espinola, Haley Andrews, Angela Bonavita, Maddie Stewart, Marrissa Masson
ANGELA BONAVITA (SENIOR)
What has your role been with SRU Dance throughout your years at Salve?
My first two years on SRU Dance, I was just a dancer, just a little old dancer. Then my junior year, I took on the role of choreographing and then from there I decided I wanted to run for e-board for my senior year. So, I ran for captain and now I am currently a captain.
What has that experience been like?
Crazy. It’s a lot of work. It takes a lot of dedication and it’s very time consuming but it’s also very rewarding being able to see the end product on a day like today when we have the whole club here. It’s really rewarding to see that the hard work pays off at the end of the day.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time with SRU Dance?
My favorite memory would probably be the first time I choreographed and the first show of that semester when all of my dancers went out and they put their all into it. I got to finally see the final product and see the audience go crazy. Knowing that I was able to piece together something that was bigger than anything I thought I could do was just very satisfying and something that will probably stay with me forever.
What has been your greatest accomplishment?
Being able to rally this many people to create the biggest show on campus. Being able to create that cohesiveness and put together a show that we’re definitely going to be proud of is enough of an accomplishment in itself, I’d say.
Can you tell me about your start with dance?
I was actually a gymnast my whole life for about sixteen years. I did it competitively. The only experience I had with dance was ballet for technique. After I retired from gymnastics, I came to Salve and I said ‘I want to stay in it somehow. I want to keep my body moving.’ So I thought, dance is as close as I could come to that. I found my groove in hip-hop and here I am. Gymnast to dancer.
How do you think you have grown as a dancer over the years and how do you hope you will continue to grow?
I definitely was not a dancer for the first eighteen years of my life and then coming into the role and just throwing myself into it full force has taught me a lot. I think in the four years I’ve done dance here, I’ve grown a lot as a person, not just because of my experiences here but the things I’ve carried out from dancing in general. I think that this experience of being a captain and having a leadership role is something that is going to carry me to after graduation and beyond.
HALEY ANDREWS (SENIOR)
What has your role been with SRU Dance throughout your years at Salve?
I didn’t do it first semester of freshman year. I didn’t really know anything about it. All I knew when I came here was Extensions. I realized that a lot of my friends did it and a lot of the Extensions girls did it too. Then I did it and I fell in love. My junior year I was PR Coordinator, which I loved, but I thought I would try to make a step to senior captain to start making some changes that we thought we needed.
What were some of the changes you have made?
There were a lot of discrepancies going on about who could choreograph and who can’t choreograph. We were running into rehearsal problems where some people didn’t know how to run a rehearsal because they’d never been in a class and that’s an issue. Even though we’re a club we wanted to have that professionalism. We really worked that into our constitution and we worked hard to make sure everyone who is choreographing is in a technique class at that time.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time with SRU Dance?
My favorite memory was probably my first show that I was in. I found out really fast that everyone goes to the SRU Dance show. I assumed nobody would go to it. The student body doesn’t really flock to the Extensions shows because it’s kind of artsy. But there’s a lot of pop culture in the SRU Dance show. I went to the first show and saw the audience full. That was really cool.
What has been your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment is I think just being a leader, yes in SRU Dance, but I think as a dancer overall here at Salve. I really work hard to get involved and get myself in a pivotal position because I have so much passion behind it that I want to be in those positions to make changes and spread art throughout the campus. I think that’s going to set me up for a leadership role later on.
Can you tell me about your start with dance?
I started dancing when I was super little. I had too much energy so my mom put me in it. I just danced recreationally up until high school. Then, I went to a different studio, started training, got more technique, realized I could dance and fell in love with it. Then, I came to Salve and found out they have an amazing dance program that is super on the DL and I totally immersed myself in it. I do SRU Dance, Extensions, I teach a couple studios at home, and plan on pursuing it professionally.
How do you think you have grown as a dancer over the years and how do you hope you will continue to grow?
I’ve definitely become more open going to college. There’s a lot about concert dance that I didn’t know. I know SRU Dance isn’t necessarily considered concert dance but I think it can carry over. I would say learning artistry and learning to perform more. I am someone who is always super nervous to smile on stage or portray a character but with opportunities through SRU Dance and Extensions I am getting a lot better with that and I think also getting more well rounded with different styles.
VANESSA ESPINOLA (JUNIOR)
What has your role been with SRU Dance throughout your years at Salve?
I have been in SRU Dance since I was a freshman. As an assistant captain, a main focus is that we organize clothing orders for the whole club and we also do the bios for the show. The bios are so that when people come to the show they know who is in the dances and a little bit about the performers in the club. Another part of our job description is helping people on the e-board.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time with SRU Dance?
I came back from an injury from my senior year of high school. Coming to SRU Dance was the first time I really got back to dancing. I specifically remember people in the club would come up to me and they would say ‘I love watching you dance. You’re doing such a good job.’ It made me feel so good because I felt like I was never going to be where I was again. It showed me that this club is full of nice and kind people.
What has been your greatest accomplishment?
As a dancer, probably choreographing my own piece. I had never choreographed my own pieces until being a part of the club. This semester I actually choreographed two pieces by myself and it’s something I didn’t honestly think I’d be able to do, but I did it.
Can you tell me about your start with dance?
I started like everyone else did; when I was three years old I did ballet in this dance studio. I was part of a dance studio back in my hometown and I did competitions. I loved it ever since I was little, I didn’t want to do anything else.
How do you think you have grown as a dancer over the years and how do you hope you will continue to grow?
Overall I have become more of a confident dancer. I used to care a lot about impressing people or doing a dance so that it would please someone else. Being a part of this club, it doesn’t matter how you dance, it’s about dancing for yourself.
MADDIE STEWART (JUNIOR)
What has your role been with SRU Dance throughout your years at Salve?
We interact a lot with the actual club members. A lot of the other e-board members are more behind the scenes. This is my first year on the e-board. In the past, my involvement has been just doing as many dances as possible. I’ve always tried to be involved just because I like it that much.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time with SRU Dance?
All of my favorite memories are definitely when the club comes together as a whole. I love tech week because it’s the first time all 160 dancers get to see each other since the first day at auditions. Tech week is always such a blast. The e-board tries to make it fun. We do spirit days each day of the week to amp people up. We try and make it fun because it’s late at night and it’s a lot of hard work.
What has been your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment has been helping to manage a club this big. When I was a freshman I didn’t realize how much work goes into a show. Our e-board is always communicating. Every day of the week there is something that needs to be done for a show that happens two days out of the whole semester.
Can you tell me about your start with dance?
I started when I was little. I started at a studio that just did little tiny performances. They didn’t do competitions. When I started to really love it I turned to a studio and competed. I stopped doing all the other things I did and just focused on dance. Since the 4th grade when I started competing it’s been the only thing I love to do as an extracurricular. At Salve, there are so many opportunities to dance. I came from a studio where I danced six days a week and here I do the same thing. It has transitioned into my college lifestyle, which is really nice.
How do you think you have grown as a dancer over the years and how do you hope you will continue to grow?
I’ve grown as a dancer by learning how to take choreography from a bunch of different people. This club is completely student-run so each rehearsal is with a different student. There’s so much respect for each other. Putting yourself out there in the form of dance is kind of vulnerable so having a crowd that is willing to take your choreography is really special. I like that I’ve been able to learn from so many people.
The SRU Dance Show “Vibes” will be performed Friday, November 17th at 7 p.m. (cost: $1 donation) and Saturday, November 18th at 1 p.m. (cost: $5).
