A Week in the Life of a Dance Major

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Monday, April 23”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003eI woke up at 8:30 am, so I had time to stop by the dining hall for breakfast. Classes started at 10 am with Dance and Cultural Diversity, a lecture class all dance majors take. We learn about dance around the world, and how it’s evolved and influenced contemporary forms of dance. Then I went back to my on-campus apartment to eat lunch and change for my ballet class. At this point I switched from my “academic classes” backpack to my “dance bag” backpack.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eBallet is taught by Muriel Joyce, who danced professionally with the National Bavarian Ballet in Munich, Germany, before moving to California and becoming a professor. Ballet is one of my favorite classes. I try to arrange my schedule so that I can take it every day. u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eOne difference between dancing in college and dancing at my studio in Texas is that we dance to live music in class here. One of our accompanists, Craig, will even play “Happy Birthday” to dancers on their birthdays and Christmas music during the holidays. u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eAfter ballet was Repertory and Performance, a class where we learn from guest choreographers. Right now I’m learning u003cemu003eThe Nightu003c/emu003e, a dance by Jessica Kondrath, who directs JESSICA KONDRATH|THE MOVEMENT, a company currently based in L.A. I love how fluid, yet angular, the movement is, and how each formation flows into the next. u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eIn ballet class (courtesy Robinson)u003c/pu003e”}

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Tuesday, April 24”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003eMy first class today was jazz at 11 am. Jazz is a class that both dance and musical theater majors take, and it’s fun getting to dance with people from another major. Our professor, Macarena Gandarillas, has an infamous warm-up that leaves me sweaty every time. It includes isolations, stretching, ab conditioning, push-ups, pliu00e9s, tendus, hinges, and a leg extension sequence. After jazz was my Graham-based modern class. I love how this class builds upon itself, with elements from the warm-up reappearing later in the class.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eAt 6 pm I returned to the performing arts building for a pop-up master class put on by Dance Association, the student-run organization for dance majors. The classes vary from hip hop to musical theater. Today was a foam-roller class led by associate professor Amy Tabback, the perfect way to relax at the end of the semester. I’m really looking forward to serving as Dance Association’s secretary next year.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eIn modern class (courtesy Robinson)u003c/pu003e”}

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Wednesday, April 25”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003e After a full day of classes, I went to my sorority’s spring philanthropy event, Sigma Kappa’s Best Dance Crew. Each of the other sororities and fraternities put together a dance team and choreographed a routine. Our own team took the stage for a halftime performance, dancing to a mashup of songs from different decades. As much as I love all of the ballet and modern we do in the dance department, I really enjoyed doing hip hop with my sorority sisters just for fun. We raised $8,000 for various causes, including Alzheimer’s research.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eAt Sigma Kappa’s Best Dance Crew event (courtesy Robinson)u003c/pu003e”}

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Thursday, April 26”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003eAfter my dance classes ended at 2:40 pm, I had to rush from the performing arts building to my Communications Writing class for my second major, communications. One thing I never thought about before coming to college as a dance major was how often I’d be stuck wearing dance clothes to a normal academic class. My friends and I joke about how I go from being a normal college student to “looking like an egg” when I pull my hair back into a bun. u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eThat evening, I logged on to another communications class I take online. I try to take online classes when I can, to free up my schedule for dance electives and rehearsals. Between my two majors, I write a lot of papers. Another thing I didn’t expect is how much writing dance majors do. We are constantly writing dance critiques, self-evaluation papers, and research papers on famous dancers and choreographers. u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eAt 9:30 pm, like clockwork, I can hear the fireworks going off from Disneyland just down the road. CSUF is so close to Disneyland that we’re sometimes called “Cal State Disney,” and the park employs tons of CSUF students.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eRobinson (right) on campus at California State University, Fullerton (courtesy Robinson)u003c/pu003e”}

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Friday, April 27”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003eMy Fridays are normally spent hanging with friends or catching up on homework, but today, our Repertory and Performance class was invited to dance at a performing arts middle and high school in a nearby town, something we do frequently. We also teach sections of the choreography to the students before showing it. It’s a really fun and engaging way to share our program with the community.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eThis evening my roommate Taryn and I baked some cookies and watched a movie that Taryn, who’s a film major, was assigned for homework. I’m lucky to have roommates who are also artists and are as passionate about their majors as I am about dance. Cal State Fullerton has a really strong and well-rounded College of the Arts. I even lived on a dorm floor that was just for arts majors my freshman year. It could get pretty loud and crazy (there was always someone practicing an instrument or singing in the halls), but it was never boring and led me to meet some of my best friends.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eStudying with friends (courtesy Robinson)u003c/pu003e”}

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Saturday, April 28”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003e One thing I love about going to school in Southern California is how many opportunities there are to get inspired by art in the area. Today my best friend Lauren and I got student rush tickets to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s show in Costa Mesa. It was my first time seeing the company perform u003cemu003eRevelationsu003c/emu003e. Watching live dance keeps me inspired to continue following my dream of being a professional dancer.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eAt Alvin Ailey Amercian Dance Theater’s performance (courtesy Robinson)u003c/pu003e”}