A "Battle Of The Dances" Arrives In The JAAC

18 hours ago2 min read

Emma Ask, organizer and host of the event, stands in front of the audience as viewers trickle into the Janet Ayers conference room, Zach Watkins

A “Battle Of The Dances” held in the Janet Ayers Academic Center on Wednesday highlighted the struggle that dance students have in finding practice spaces on campus.

The event brought together dance groups for a night of competition and served as a way to shed light on the struggles that plague the small but mighty dance scene on campus.

Belmont, which has six theaters on its campus, does not have a problem with finding space for performances throughout the year.

The problem arises in finding rehearsal space, especially as student-led dance organizations and the dance minor expand their membership and involvement in the greater Belmont community.

“Throughout my three years at Belmont, I have had rehearsals held on top of musical theater and theater sets, in gymnasiums without proper flooring or mirrors and stages that hold only half of our company,” said Emma Ask, one of the five organizers of the event and member of the Belmont University dance minor.

While the ability to adapt is a necessary skill of the performing arts, the spaces needed aren't just overbooked but also unfit for the activity taking place in them.

“I have stepped on splinters of wood, loose nails and slipped on slick paint. Students are forced to practice on carpeted basements, dirty racquetball courts, and in empty classrooms. Multiple times I have walked around campus, checking every possible space and have been unable to practice for a required class,” said Ask.

Dance groups perform with a representative from each one spoke to the audience after sharing their experience with the lack of dance support by the Belmont Administration.

The event included performances and speeches by:

RVX - Belmont’s K-Pop dance cover group
Lara Walker - A member of Belmont’s Dance Company
Ignite Dance Team - Bemont’s student led dance team

At the end of the exhibition of performing arts, the audience voted for a winner who would receive a prize of new dance flooring allowing the group to set up rehearsal wherever they need to.

The event plans on returning every year, with the hope being that the campus's dance community will become vocal enough to cause change for the problems affecting the dancers.