This New Year has welcomed a plethora of new and old resolutions. For those in the ETSU community, getting active or more involved may be a rising priority.
Fortunately, the Amalgam Dance Group can encourage its participants to stick to their vows in an active and exciting manner. The organization also helps to connect more people with similar interests together.
“Amalgam” is a curious word and means “a blend or mixture.” Faculty, students and others at ETSU are therefore more than welcome to join and offer their individuality to the dance atmosphere.
Joining is easy because no experience is required. However, for those who are highly interested, members of the group will be leading the sessions, and it is possible to be one of those leaders.
Participants are encouraged to be members, but to be considered a member they must attend at least eight sessions or projects each semester.
Current members are skilled in belly dancing, ballet, hip hop and modern dance. However, the organization is certainly not limiting itself to what it knows. True to its name, members encourage the introductions of new and foreign dances.
They also encourage collaboration with other departments involving visual arts, music and multi-media.
Member Devorah Daught says the dance group’s goal is, “to provide an additional outlet for the technical and creative growth of dancers at ETSU through member-lead classes, performances, and other projects, as well as to create opportunities for the larger ETSU community to appreciate and become involved in dance.”
Backed by Cara Harker, an associate professor of communication and performance at ETSU, Daught hopes the sessions will generate interest among dancers on campus.
“I believe our organization will add a valuable resource to the ETSU campus as an outlet for building community, celebrating creativity and diversity, and promoting physical and mental well-being,” Daught said.
The Amalgams Dance Group offers few reasons for the community not to join and can help some members of the community maintain their goals for the new year.
The first session was held at 4:30 p.m. at Brooks Gym on Jan 18. This will not be the beginnings of a consistent schedule just yet as the group will gauge attendance and set a schedule according to participants needs.
