Last Friday and Saturday night, the packed CFAC audience erupted in applause as the lights dimmed, signaling the start of this semester’s Dance Guild performances. Dances ranging from Audition Swing, to Guild Co-Ed Hip Hop, to Guild Dad were packed into a nearly two hour performance that drew sold-out crowds on both nights.

With Dance Guild founder and advisor Ellen Van’t Hof’s retirement last year, this semester’s performance was the first under the guidance of the new advisor, dance professor Cassie Vander Well.  

“Serving as the advisor for the largest student-led organization on campus was initially a bit daunting, but I have been blessed with an amazing group of student leaders that go above and beyond their required obligations,” said Vander Well. “I was also given the opportunity to shadow former director of dance Ellen Van’t Hof last year when I was teaching as an adjunct, which certainly helped with the transition.”

The advisor is a mentor to the leadership team as well as responsible for “overseeing some of the logistics involved, such as budget, booking, etc.,” said Vander Well. As an advisor Vander Well also seeks “opportunities to teach discernment and Christian leadership.”

“She really lets the leadership team be in charge, but she is always there for ideas or if we need help,” said sophomore Storm Phillips, one of Dance Guild’s leadership team. “She is also very enthusiastic about Dance Guild … which makes being on leadership super fun.”

To encourage even more participation, the leadership team chose the theme-slogan: “If you think you can’t dance, you’re wrong.” It’s a sentiment they want to perpetuate beyond just this semester.

“As an emerging dance and disability studies scholar, accessibility is very important to me,” said Vander Well. “Dance Guild does a great of being inclusive and welcoming to all students. I am honored to be a part of an organization that supports the notion that anyone can dance.”

According to Phillips, the only thing stopping people from participating is themselves: “So many people think that they can’t do Dance Guild because they’ve never danced before, or they just think they can’t dance. That is just simply not true. That’s what is so great about [Dance Guild], literally anyone can be a part of it. People like me who have danced for many years can be challenged if they want, and people who have never danced before can try it out and just have fun.”

Guild level dances are a good place to start for those nervous about dancing, according to junior Jordyn Stromback: “There are a lot of people, so you’re not singled out. You’re with your friends so you don’t really care whether you look perfect. It’s a lot of fun.”  

In addition to the entertainment factor, the community that Dance Guild creates is another reason that students like junior Sarah Mulcock love to participate: “The thing that I love most about Dance Guild is how it brings people from all majors together. You meet new people and become friends with people who you may have had one class with.”

“Dance Guild is just more about having fun, which is great, especially when you are stressed out about your classes or just about life in general,” said Phillips. “The fun atmosphere and the friends that I have made through it here at Calvin is one of the best things about Dance Guild.”