Opportunities abound for dance majors, non-majors

\"Love like you've never been hurt and dance like nobody's watching…" Mark Twain's inspirational words speak the truth when it comes to dancers at IU. Although IU offers a very intense ballet program through the School of Dance in which students dance all afternoon after their morning core classes, IU also offers many electives in all types of dance. \nSara Flores, a senior voice major, is taking a beginning jazz class as an elective. \n"I needed an extra credit, and I like jazz," she said. Flores danced tap and ballet in high school, and she likes the fact that she can take a dance class for fun, even though she is not majoring in dance.\nDiane Buzzell teaches the jazz class and musical theater as electives. From beginning classes in jazz to advanced, students are placed in a class that fits their skill level.\n"Students who are theater majors may need a dance class as an elective, therefore, the theater department offers dance classes for them," Buzzell said.\nBuzzell also puts on her own company outside of IU and has performances once or twice each school year.\nOutside of the theater department sits the dance department, where students serious about dance may audition through the School of Music to gain an undergraduate degree in ballet. The classes are intense, starting at 11:30 a.m. and running until 6:30 p.m. Classes run all afternoon, and in the evening students practice for upcoming performances.\nProfessor Jacques Cesbron has been a ballet professor at IU for 14 years. In the past he taught ballet to non-majors, but now he only teaches those majoring in ballet. \n"At 11:30 (a.m.), I teach the general ballet class for both men and women, then the second class, the men come with me while the girls go to a point class, and then the third class is a pas-de-deux class for both men and women," Cesbron said.\nThe pas-de-deux class is where the men learn how to hold, lift, and balance the women. After all the classes are finished, the dancers go off to practice for upcoming performances.\nThe Fall Ballet is coming up, taking place Oct. 11 and 12. Cesbron choreographed it himself and only those accepted into the School of Music's ballet department are allowed to audition for performances like the Fall Ballet and the Nutcracker. \n"The ballet department is very intense and once they complete their undergraduate degree, they get jobs in studios such as the American Ballet, or in Milwaukee, Atlanta, etc… They are very talented dancers, and want to do ballet for an occupation, not just as an elective for fun," Cesbron said.\nThe IU ballet department also offers a "pre-college class" for girls ages 3 to 17 who either want to take classes for fun, or for those who want to dance at IU.\nFor the student who loves all types of dance beyond ballet and jazz, but everything from African American Dance to Middle Eastern Dance, the HPER is offering a dance minor for the first time.\nElizabeth Shea is a modern dance teacher whose work was critical in getting the dance minor program passed.\n"There are about 55 dance minors here at IU now. They take courses that are part of the Department of Kinesieology and elective dance courses," she said.\nStudents take three modern dance classes, three classes in a dance type of their choice, technique classes, dance history classes, and composition classes. In total, a student has to take 18 credit hours to earn the minor in dance.\nIn addition to the degree program, students are asked to see performances outside of class. This Tuesday, the faculty of the dance department are partaking in a performance of their own. Also, select students who take a dance class are in a showcase at the end of the year. In April, there is a concert involving dance students in all types of dance. \nNot only are students asked to view and critique performances, but they are also expected to see guest speakers in dance, such as Myrna Munchus-Bullock, an African American dancer coming Sept. 25. There is a modern dance speaker coming in October, as well as a jazz and tap dancer in the early spring.\n"The dance minors are meant to educate not only in performance levels, but also in academic discipline," Shea said. "It makes (one) a better dancer, and helps you perform better because there is a better understanding of dance"