Cedars, February 2019

February 2019 13 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT opportunity to further develop her love of dance. “I was happy to pick it up again in col- lege and find a place where I can have joy in something I love doing,” she said. In the future, Indyk wants to continue placing emphasis on the gospel above all else. “I’m excited to see what new changes come about,” she said. “I want them to be able to take it and run with it; if they have visions, I want to see what that looks like.” Ayo holds open auditions each semes- ter and welcomes dancers of any skill level. During auditions, Ayo officers teach par- ticipants a short dance, then record their performance; though no one is cut, officers then rank the dancers based on their skill level on a scale of 1-6. Ayo puts on both a fall and spring showcase at the Cedarville Opera House, spending an entire semester preparing for each performance. Officers and experienced Ayo members serve as choreographers and select, plan and oversee a different style of dance. Based on their skill levels, org mem- bers can sign up for as many dances as they wish. Each dance entails a time com- mitment of one hour of practice per week, which takes place in the movement studio in the SSC and exercise studio in the recre- ation center. This semester, the 23 available dance classes include hip-hop, jazz, Broadway, contemporary ballet, tap, Bollywood, lyr- ical, swing, color guard and acro, among many others. As the season progresses, Ayo will hold solo, duet, and small group audi- tions, and the final showcase lineup will in- clude between 26 and 28 dances. For more difficult dances, a higher skill level might be required. “But there are a lot of all-level dances,” Ashleigh Veltman, senior nursing major and the org’s secretary, said, “which is awe- some, because the point is that everyone can join and dance.” Last semester, Ayo’s fall showcase “Sojourn” centered on storytelling and the believer’s journey through life. Indyk said it was a huge success, because of the focus on worship and Ayo incorporating a gospel presentation for the first time. “A lot of people took the initiative to choreograph to worship songs and have really good meaning behind their dances,” Veltman said. Each choreographer is responsible to choose the song for their style of dance, as well as the costume, whether they order it online or plan to pull together items that dancers already own. The choreographers then purchase the costumes in bulk, and the dancers pay for half the expense while Ayo covers the other half. Stage hair and make- up also largely fall to the individual dancers and depend on the style of dance. Through their song, costume and style selections, all 23 choreographers build a co- hesive show under a single theme. “We really encourage choreographers to tell their stories and why they picked the dance that they did,” Indyk said. Amidst Ayo’s growing popularity, sev- eral outside organizations have reached out and requested dancers for a variety of proj- ects, including everything from a church music video to a project promoting healing from sexual abuse. “It’s really cool that people are noticing that we want to use this for good,” Veltman said. “They’re starting to see that maybe we could expand from our showcases.” However, Ayo acknowledges the stigma surrounding dance, and the officers express Ayo’s intentions to follow the doctrine laid out in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” “For some reason, dance seems to have more of a taboo,” Veltman said. “I think it’s important to show that if we are taking the right mindset, and we are serving the Lord through it, and we are cautious of our mod- esty and movements and making sure it’s not inappropriate in any way, then there is nothing wrong with using [dance] to glorify the Lord.” Indyk agrees that growing support from Cedarville’s campus is both crucial and meaningful. “Our shows reach a fair amount of peo- ple, and having campus be able to come is really sweet,” she said. In order to remain focused on Christ, the officers have chosen Jeremiah 31:13 as Ayo’s motto and guiding principle: “Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourn- ing into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” Indyk hopes to apply this verse to all of Ayo’s operations this semester and in se- mesters to come. “We’re going to really cling to that verse as a reminder of why we rejoice, and why we are glad in Christ, and why we dance,” she said. Veltman conducted extensive research and consulted wise, godly sources to ensure that the officers did not pull Jeremiah 31:13 out of context. She came to the conclusion that the joy described in the verse is the same joy Ayo hopes to claim in Christ. “The Lord is going to turn all themourn- ing of this world into gladness and comfort and joy instead of sorrow, and that’s what we want to show the world through our dance,” she said. “Even though things might be a little crummy here, we have hope, we have joy, and we’re going to dance, from now until eternity.” This spring, in addition to their show- case, Ayo will perform in “Sing, Dance, Laugh,” on Feb. 22 and 23 in the Recital Hall, alongside The Inversions (student a cappella group) and DTR (student comedy org). All proceeds will be donated to charity. Currently, Ayo is hard at work prepar- ing for their upcoming spring showcase on April 12 and 13, titled “Hills and Valleys,” that focuses on the highs and lows of life. During the week of auditions, officers held an all-org meeting where choreographers presented their dances so members can sign up for however many they choose. On the week of the show is a dress re- hearsal where Ayo as a whole runs through the show twice before performing on Friday and Saturday. Admission costs $5 per per- son. Tickets will be available the week of the show from 11-2 in the lower SSC, as well as at the door on the nights of the performance. Katie Milligan is a sophomore English ma- jor. She enjoys taking Polaroid photos, eat- ing pasta, and watching Disney movies. (937) 766-9852 105 W Xenia Ave, Cedarville, OH 45314 From oil changes to brake jobs we have proudly served the Cedarville community for over ten years. Free shuttle service for University students!