Cedars, February 2019

February 2019 12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Dancing Until Eternity Ayo, Cedarville’s student dance org, strives to worship God through joy-filled dance by Katie Milligan A yo specializes in choreography and dance and seeks to bring glory to God through performance art. Ayo, meaning ‘joy’ in the West African language Yoruba, is a young student organization — only about seven years old. Prior to its formation, the only dance org on cam- pus was Expressions of Praise, which performed worship dances in chapel. The dance org has grown quickly in recent years. Kaela Indyk, senior psychology major, has been involved with Ayo since her freshman year and is now the org’s president. She estimates that the org has about 90 members, with 30 join- ing in the past year alone. Indyk has been a dancer since age 3, and Ayo was a ma- jor factor in her decision to attend Cedarville. After nearly four years of involvement in the org, she is grateful for Ayo’s community. “Students that wouldn’t normally meet each other or hang out can come together and dance for the Lord,” Indyk said. Maria Salow, freshman linguistics major and Ayo inter- im officer, encourages all students to try out for Ayo, regard- less of their skill level. Salow said she appreciates getting to experience the talents of her fellow dancers. “I love seeing all the diverse dance styles,” she said. “That’s encouraging to me that I get to witness and see the glory of God as they’re dancing. It’s so beautiful.” Salow also believes that Ayo has built a tight-knit com- munity grounded in mutual faith. “When we’re struggling through something, we ask each other for prayer,” she said. “Not only are we dancing together, but we’re praying, doing life, chasing after Jesus together. It’s such a blessing.” Junior electrical engineering major Michael Dundas serves as Ayo’s treasurer. Dundas enjoys that dance offers both an escape from the pressure of student life as well as an avenue of praise. “I like it because it provides a good stress-relief out- let,” he said. “I also like the emphasis that dance is an act of worship.” Amy Wikrent, a sophomore English major and another interim officer, assists in overseeing auditions and training for leadership roles in the coming years. She has had extensive formal dance training from a young age in styles such as jazz, ballet, hip-hop and even Polish dancing, and is thankful that Ayo brings her the Photo by Carrie Bergan The dancers circle up for quick introductions before they start learning the dance steps. Anyone can enter Ayo, but dancers are separated based on their level of skill and ability.