Cedars, March 2018

March 2018 13 ART & ENTERTAINMENT by Shelby Ahlborg H annah Williams, a senior English major, uses her passion for dance to serve others. Williams did not get into dancing the traditional way, taking lessons at a studio, but rather began it through being involved in musical theater. Although she started in theater at a young age, she did not begin doing complicated dances and taking the art seriously until her freshman or sopho- more year of high school. As a high school senior, she had the opportunity to perform in “West Side Sto- ry,” where she began as one of the Jets girls, who did not do much besides dance. However, she later got switched to a main role and dancing with a partner, and she discovered that she really enjoyed danc- ing. When she came to Cedarville and heard about Ayo, the dance organization, she was all in. In Ayo, students have the option to simply perform in a variety of different dances, but others take their love for dance to the next level and actually choreograph the dances in which their fellow students perform. After being part of Ayo for a semester, Williams joined the choreographers, hop- ing to use her passion for dance long term. Currently, she has two dances in progress. They are both jazz numbers, the first to the song “This is What Dreams Are Made Of” from Lizzie McGuire, and the other is the song “Bye Bye Bye” in a 60s jazz cover. Over the years, through theater, writ- ing, studio arts, and other arts that Wil- liams has been involved in, there have always been people supporting and en- couraging her along the way. Her mom, of course, was a big help early on, being un- derstanding and flexible when rehearsals ran late or were at inconvenient times. Williams did not realize that she was interested in dance until “West Side Story,” when the director encouraged her. “The director called my name. I never really get notes, so I was like ‘Oh my gosh, that’s me.’ She was like, ‘Hannah, you looked really good in that number. You’re a dancer.’ And I had never considered that before in my entire life,” Williams said. Early in her involvement with Ayo, Williams received encouragement from her choreographers. One great encourage- ment and friend is senior Sabrina Fridley, who similarly holds Williams in high re- gard. Fridley and Williams met three years ago when Williams signed up to be part of a dance Fridley choreographed. “She has such a passion for serving people,” Fridley said. “She always makes a point to ask dancers in her classes if any- one has a prayer request or any way she can encourage them. Hannah is always there to put a smile on your face.” Williams also teaches a choreography class through Ayo, where people can go to learn a minute of a dance in a different style each week. She said it is a nice way for people to try out different dance styles without having to commit to one for the whole semester. Williams enjoys many aspects of dance. She said it can be a fun way to be- come more athletic and get fit because dancing can quickly wear a person out. As an English major, everything really goes back to stories for her, and that is another thing she loves about dance. “Everything from the movements, to the timing, to how many people you have in a dance, to costumes, to obviously the music you choose, can tell a story,” Wil- liams said. “You can even just tell a whole other story within a song. I just think that’s so special.” Off campus, Williams teaches dance at Perrin Promise, an after-school program in Springfield. The faculty of the program thought that last year was their last year in operation and wanted to do one last final big dance, so Williams was brought in to teach. She taught 60 kids each of their indi- vidual parts, even when they did not want to. Then, the program received funding for another year. “The new director had seen the final showcase and said ‘Hey, I want you to come back and teach dance again,’” Wil- liams said. “This time I’m teaching for the full semester instead of just a month, and I have a smaller class with just the kids who signed up and want to do it. It’s very dif- ferent.” With graduation rapidly approaching, Williams has been planning her future and has several items on the agenda. This up- coming fall she plans on doing her student teaching, as she is focusing her major into English education. She is working on getting placed abroad, she hopes in Europe, where she can work for at least a couple of years. She also hopes to travel while she can, keep dancing and possibly get involved in the- ater, doing a little bit of everything that she loves and passing that love and passion to the next generation in any way she can. “A lot of times, the English teachers are the ones who lead the theater team,” Williams said. “That’s one thing I would love to offer on my resume, or even get involved in a community theater, because that’s what I originally got involved in ... I would absolutely love that.” Shelby Ahlborg is a junior graphic design major and A&E writer for Cedars. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, writing, and studying the animation and special effects in movies. Hannah Williams: Stories and Dances Photo by Lauren Jacobs Hannah Williams teaches and choreographs dances both on and off campus.