Aspiring dancers from around the state spent Saturday with the Dance and Arts Administration programs in dance classes and informational sessions around higher education opportunities.
Twenty-five high school students from across North Carolina spent a day with Elon’s Dance Program on Saturday, Nov. 12, taking lessons from Elon faculty and attending the Fall Dance Concert.
This was Discover Dance with Elon’s second year, a college-access event for aspiring dancers organized by the Arts Administration and Dance programs. The day included lessons in West African dance with Assistant Professor Keshia Wall, Brazilian capoeira with Lecturer Jasmine Powell, and modern dance with Associate Professor Renay Aumiller, as well as programming around wellness and the college admissions process.
“We wanted high school students across North Carolina to experience collegiate dance in a high-quality and safe student environment,” said Assistant Professor of Arts Administration Wen Guo. “This also gives arts administration students at Elon the opportunity to practice their skills and knowledge and makes this a really great final project for their degree.”
Though the program is hosted by Elon and included a session with Elon Admissions, it isn’t necessarily intended to market Elon University to students. Rather, students, faculty and staff worked to give broad insights into higher education and the opportunities available to aspiring dancers and performing artists as undergraduates.
Heather Knowles teaches dance at Union High School in Sampson County, in eastern North Carolina. She received an email about Discover Dance with Elon earlier this fall and was excited to bring eight students onto a college campus to experience different teaching styles and new forms of dance.
“I think it’s important to get our students out into the world and introduce them to what dance can look like on a collegiate level as early as possible,” Knowles said. “I want to take them to as many places as possible to give them all the exposure to life outside the walls of their normal, and so they can visualize what the arts look like from a broader span.
“We’re grateful for this opportunity and happy to be here. I’m hoping to bring even more of our dancers next year.”
Senior arts administration students organized and promoted the event, marketing it toward young dancers in rural and lower-income school systems. Funding from the Arts Administration and Dance programs, as well as a grant from the university’s Fund For Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, offered scholarships to cover the costs of attending the program.
Haley Covington ’23 and Corrine Brager ’23 were among the arts administration majors who planned this year’s event. Covington spearheaded social media marketing, using video and images to attract students. Brager coordinated the scholarship funding within the registration process.
“The great thing about this project is that everyone got to explore their own niches and interests in arts administration. So, I was able to work on social media and gain experience that I will bring with me into my professional career,” Covington said.
Brager said the project synthesized concepts and projects from throughout her undergraduate and internship experiences into real-world application.
“We’ve observed larger collaborations, but this allowed us to take the lead in a kind of mock nonprofit scenario, so that when we graduate and join an arts organization, we have these skills and a greater understanding and appreciation for the process and the field,” Brager said.
“I’m excited to see what this event could become in the future,” Brager said, “and how these connections with communities and schools beyond Elon will extend beyond a one-day workshop.”