Dance ensemble is a place where passion, art, and love are formed into one thing, it is called community. My experiences in dance ensembles were always about those three things. The three things that brought me to love dance growing up. Since the age of three, I have been dancing, and when I got to college, I continued my passion with the dance ensemble. I heard about Loyola’s dance ensemble in my freshman year on the Theater Arts and Dance Instagram page, and joined the ensemble my freshman year. 

Freshman year of the dance ensemble was the best. The people who were on it before me welcomed me and the other new members and me with open arms. That year, I met a community of people that changed my life and continues to do so. A community that shared the same dreams and passion for dance and the art of storytelling through our emotions and bodies. Being in a dance ensemble, you are introduced to so many styles of dance, from ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and African. 

The styles of dance are special because that is how most communities gather and celebrate, and most of all, the dance ensemble is so special to the Loyola community because of the community. We are all different artists in different majors, creating something that we all share. The dance ensemble created something in my life where I felt a sense of belonging and support from everybody on the team. The people in the dance ensemble were always there for each other and made the experience of dancing more than just dancing; it made it feel as if we were family. Dance is a sense of community to me, and family is your community, so dancing everywhere at any place and anywhere felt to me like a community coming to support and just wanting to have fun. A family that stuck together on hard nights and days, and where any talk we had together was on the studio floor or trying to sneak snacks on long tech nights.  With the dance ensemble practicing on Thursday night and performing once every semester, we work hard for everything to come together. 

Our teacher, Mama Kia, who runs the dance ensemble, has always been there to share her passion and to help us grow.  I appreciate her, her work ethic and the way she  always pushes us to be the best we can be. This organization is special, but most of all, this organization always gave me a place where I could get away from the craziness of college and keep doing something I love.