2008 Woodie Awards
Dance offers expressive outlet
Rachael Kephart
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: A&E
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Dance is a form of expression that is as individualistic as it is cross-cultural. People everywhere have been taking advantage of dance not only as a form of entertainment but as a form of recreation and students at Kirkwood are no different.
Kirkwood offers beginning classes in jazz, modern, tap and ballet for credit, as well as several continuing education dance classes.
"Dance has just always been a love and a passion of mine," said Lisa Pettit, dance instructor. "I went to bed dancing and I woke up dancing. It's probably the only thing that I cared about academically."
Pettit has been teaching dance and choreographing musicals at Kirkwood for four years.
All that is needed to enroll in a class is a book and in the case of tap a pair of tap shoes. The classes are for beginners and no experience is necessary so anyone can enroll.
"All a student needs is an eagerness to learn. You have to want to learn and you have to want to be in class. Sixty percent of the grade is attendance," said Pettit.
But this also creates some problems for the more intermediate and experienced dancers. "Sometimes students may get bored if they are more advanced and newer people may be overwhelmed so I just really try to balance it and I teach to the majority of students' ability," said Pettit.
Rebecca Pope, Liberal Arts major and a five year dance veteran, said, "The classes here are a lot less advanced just because we don't have a lot of resources available to us whereas other schools have venues to perform at and something to work toward and that self-satisfaction from performing."
These classes do not have performances. Instead, at the end of the semester students are videotaped during their dance. However, this is not done in front of an audience or shown at any venue, the main purpose is just to create an archive.
Pope said, "But here technique is better and we are learning the history of modern dance."
"I try to break bad habits here before students go somewhere else," Pettit said. "I have observed that most students only learn to mimic their instructors not how your body is supposed to move and how you should perform correctly. In ballet we don't learn a dance we work on fundamentals and mechanics and how your body moves."
Kirkwood offers beginning classes in jazz, modern, tap and ballet for credit, as well as several continuing education dance classes.
"Dance has just always been a love and a passion of mine," said Lisa Pettit, dance instructor. "I went to bed dancing and I woke up dancing. It's probably the only thing that I cared about academically."
Pettit has been teaching dance and choreographing musicals at Kirkwood for four years.
All that is needed to enroll in a class is a book and in the case of tap a pair of tap shoes. The classes are for beginners and no experience is necessary so anyone can enroll.
"All a student needs is an eagerness to learn. You have to want to learn and you have to want to be in class. Sixty percent of the grade is attendance," said Pettit.
But this also creates some problems for the more intermediate and experienced dancers. "Sometimes students may get bored if they are more advanced and newer people may be overwhelmed so I just really try to balance it and I teach to the majority of students' ability," said Pettit.
Rebecca Pope, Liberal Arts major and a five year dance veteran, said, "The classes here are a lot less advanced just because we don't have a lot of resources available to us whereas other schools have venues to perform at and something to work toward and that self-satisfaction from performing."
These classes do not have performances. Instead, at the end of the semester students are videotaped during their dance. However, this is not done in front of an audience or shown at any venue, the main purpose is just to create an archive.
Pope said, "But here technique is better and we are learning the history of modern dance."
"I try to break bad habits here before students go somewhere else," Pettit said. "I have observed that most students only learn to mimic their instructors not how your body is supposed to move and how you should perform correctly. In ballet we don't learn a dance we work on fundamentals and mechanics and how your body moves."
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