Synchrony II

Synchrony II

During New Student Week, one of my New Student Week peer leaders texted in our group chat that he was choreographing a dance for his group, Synchrony II, and anyone interested in joining should show up to the Weitz Center for Creativity the following Saturday at 9pm—and bring a friend. As a first-year student looking to make some new friends, I was intrigued by the prospect of joining a dance troupe that encouraged no prior dance experience, and decided that I would at least show up to the first meeting. I love dancing, but I hadn’t been a part of a dance group since I was about nine years old; still, I was cautiously eager to try out this new experience. Worst case scenario, if I ended up hating it, I could always quit! I frantically texted everyone I knew on campus and asked if they would be interested in coming with me because I simply could NOT show up alone. Thankfully I found a person to drag along with me, and as we walked to the Weitz for our first practice I still didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I was still excited. This could be the first club I joined in college! 

The First Dance

Synchrony II quickly became a big part of my life at Carleton. True to its advertisement, no prior dance experiences, or skills for that matter, were required. I was pleasantly surprised, though, that students of all dance levels, including those who were also members of Semaphore, the dance department’s audition-only dance company, had joined. I fell in love with Synchrony II’s low-pressure environment, and for two hours a week, I was able to let go of whatever class or assignment I was worrying about. It didn’t matter who was the best or who had been dancing for the longest; we were all there to have a good time dancing.

That first term, I joined my peer leader’s dance, a Nicki Minaj mashup, and I met a lot of new people from different grades that I became and am still really good friends with. I think I surprised myself; I’m a pretty outgoing person, but I also can get really nervous when meeting new people. But in the Weitz dance studios, I was able to dance my nerves away, and it was one of the first times I really felt like I had found my “people” in college, and a real sense of belonging.

By the time our performances came around Week 6, I was a little nervous to dance in front of an audience in Sayles, but everyone was so encouraging and the audience, engaged, singing and dancing along in their seats. By the time we finished our last performance, all I remember thinking was how I couldn’t wait to do it all again the next term. 

Becoming A Part of Leadership

By the end of my freshman year, I had fallen in love with Synchrony II so much that I ended up running for, and becoming, a Director of the dance troupe! Essentially, as a Director, I take care of all the behind-the-scenes tasks that need to be done in order to run a club, such as, but definitely not limited to, reserving dance studio spaces, scheduling meetings with the Student Activities Office, and ensuring we have the proper audio and lighting equipment for performances, among other things. It can feel like a lot of work at times, but it genuinely is so worth it when I get to see how much my peers enjoy being a part of this club during rehearsals or when we’re performing. To me, Synchrony II is more about building a community and a space where people can just be themselves. I remember how important finding such a community was to me as a first year, and that’s why I put so much effort into continuing the club, and hopefully growing it, too. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, if being a member of Synchrony II can help a first-year make a new friend, or grow in their confidence, I consider all that effort worth it. 

Synchrony is Life, Synchrony is Love

As a rising Senior, I still get a lot out of being a member of Synchrony II. For starters, being a Director is a really worthwhile leadership role, and even though this will be my third year as a Director, I am still learning in this position, how to work with others and how to lead by example. Plus, the administrative side of things also is a really beneficial way for me to enhance skills such as time management—stuff that has real world applications! As I advance in my major, I’m not really taking a lot of intro-level classes anymore, but through Synchrony II and the other student organizations I’m a part of, I still get to know and become friends with students in the grades below me, which is important to me. I love being a part of the broader Carleton community, and anyone who knows me knows that I will never say no to making a new friend, which I get to do almost every term because of Synchrony II! 

So, even if you only know Synchrony II as the “silly” dance group on campus, to me, it has been an integral part of my Carleton experience since my first term. It’s incredible to be able to put on a successful performance and know how much work you put into it to make it happen, and to see how much everyone enjoys it. Synchrony II is really for everyone, and if you want to make new friends and dance in an environment that prioritizes fun, you should join! 

If Holly (she/her/hers) was a place on campus, she would be the bench in the upper arb that overlooks Bell Field. During the school year, Holly “slays” on the dance floor as the director of the Synchrony II dance troupe, is a member of Project Friendship, a theater stage manager, and works in the Alumni Relations Office! A fun fact about her is that she has triple citizenship with the US, UK, and Ireland.