Synchrony: Jess Hits the Dance Floor
Jess talks about performing in Synchrony: Carleton's end-of-term group dance tradition.
Jess talks about performing in Synchrony: Carleton's end-of-term group dance tradition.
My dance experience at Carleton is surprisingly robust for someone with an unreliable sense of rhythm and zero pre-Carleton dancing instruction. I took two dance P.E. classes (Folk Dance and Lindy Hop), attended social dance freshman year, and this term, participated in Carleton’s goofiest dance tradition: Synchrony!
Synchrony
Synchrony is one of Carleton’s most joyful traditions. Several groups of students spend a few weeks choreographing and rehearsing synchronized dance routines to perform at the end of the term. The coordinator-choreographers are often members of the ballroom dance team, but the dance style is modern and fun-forward. The first half of my group’s routine was inspired by the Just Dance “Rasputin” moves.
Practice
The eight of us met every Sunday in the Weitz. Some of the dancers were my friends, some I knew a little bit, and some not at all. But over the course of the term, we all shared a lot of laughs as the dance came together —learning to gangnam style in unison created a truly special bond. Before we knew it, it was time to perform.
The Show
We performed on Friday and Saturday of last weekend. The Great Hall was lit up in colorful lights and lined with chairs for students wanting to see their friends perform. It was a little nerve-wracking as people started to file into the audience, but I wasn’t too anxious before the performance. I knew that expectations of skill were low, and the only thing I had to do was make sure I was having fun! The performance itself was a little rough around the edges, but came together much better than I thought. The best part was afterwards, when everyone came up to tell us how great we did (no matter how many moves we forgot).
Synchrony as a spectator is always a ton of fun, but performing was surprisingly rewarding. There is a lot of joy in putting something together with your friends, watching it come together, and cheering each other on not in spite of the mistakes, but because of them. This is a tradition that will get you of your comfort zone and help you loosen up at the end of the term!