CURTIS HENRY
Distribution Manager
Cliques.
There is such a negative stigma surrounding the word, “clique.” Everyone associates the word as being high-school-oriented. The jocks. The nerds. The band kids. The outcasts.
The fact remains that cliques exist, even after high school. However, the word doesn’t deserve the negative connotation it gets. Sunday afternoon offered a great opportunity for two cliques to come together for a great cause. The athletes and the dancers became one in the Williams Center for one purpose: to give back to the community.
The third annual “Dancing with the Athletes” competition was held in the Multi-Purpose Room in an attempt to raise money for Moving Miracles, a non-profit organization in Buffalo that aims to provide dance education for children with special needs. The event was put on by the student dance organization.
“The money raised here today will be enough to support a scholarship for one child to attend the school of dance for nine months,” said Dolas.
As for the competition part of the event, everyone in attendance was treated to a wide variety of dance styles that were executed to the fullest extent. The dances ranged from contemporary to hip hop with nearly everything in between. For their part, the athletes held their own.
“I thought I was in shape, being a part of the track team,” said Taylor Benzin, a junior on the women’s track and field team. “Then I tried a hip hop routine and have never had to sweat so much in my life.”
It was up to three judges to decide the outcome of the event. The panel consisted of Dolas, Tom Loughlin and Susan McGee. Loughlin serves as the chair of Fredonia’s theatre and dance department, while McGee is a professor in the English department.
It was far from an easy task to crown a winner, claimed Loughlin.
“It was tougher than people would think,” he said. “There were great partnerships, and each group had great style. It was difficult.”
Eventually the top three pairs would be announced as well as a crowd favorite.
Third place was awarded to Benzin and her partner, freshman Yuna Shigehara. The couple performed a crisp jazz hip hop routine that was one of the most energetic performances the crowd was able to witness.
Second place and the crowd favorite were both awarded to Bailey Gauthier, a sophomore on the baseball team, and his partner, sophomore Rachel Prikazsky. The two performed their rendition of High School Musical 2’s baseball scene and instantly won over the crowd with bounds of cheering and laughter. *
In the end, the top routine was awarded to Olivia Kurbs, a senior on the women’s track and field team, and her dance partner Kendra Besemer. The two performed the most formal piece of the afternoon — a contemporary routine that was flawless by all measures.
The event in its entirety put to bed any thoughts that two separate campus cliques couldn’t generate teamwork.
“You’d think that the athletes and dancers on this campus would be so far apart from a chemistry standpoint,” said Loughlin. “But this event showed us that they don’t just work well as partners, but they can work really well as friends. The fact that it’s for a good cause too is awesome.”
Junior Nicole Miller serves as the public relations representative for the student dance organization. She perfectly summed up what events like this show about the Fredonia campus community.
“It just shows that the Fredonia community always comes together, especially when it’s for a good cause,” said Miller. “That’s what makes this place so special [and] days like today really show it.”