For some Iowa State students, the road to Rome is paved with a love of dancing and hard work.

The ISU dance department is planning a trip to perform in Rome, scheduled for the summer of 2004, and students are already gearing up for the adventure.

“Time, space and energy is the body of knowledge of dance and movement,” says Janice Baker, ISU dance instructor and assistant professor of health and human performance.

It is also the theme a dance group, known as the Human Movement Project, is using to form their latest creative dance, which they will be performing during the Rome trip.

“I’ve been doing [dance] for three years now — it’s a lot of fun,” says Melissa Van Osdel, junior in mechanical engineering, “We do a lot of improv, which is another type of dance I wasn’t trained in [before I came to Iowa State].”

Van Osdel, who is involved in several other Iowa State dance groups, says this performance will contain some modern-based dance, along with some improvisation.

The dance department is also working together with students from the College of Design. Baker says she hopes to also include students from the College of Education, as well as the music department.

The design and dance students are currently working on a concept based around a clock, using a mathematical approach, to convey the idea of time. After the performance is over, the dance group hopes to have worked with the design students to create permanent props they can donate to a children’s museum, Baker says.

The dance department is still accepting dance students for the trip and is looking for students who are interested in adding to the musical features.

“All those inspired by ‘Stomp,’ come on over,” Baker says.

“We’re looking for a broad cross-section of input.”

“Our goal is to help the child in everyone access their goal of expressive movement,” Baker says.

“[We want] to have a performance that could stand alone as a work and the performance would have aspects of improvisation, as well as choreography.”

Baker says that although she provides guidance, the students are in charge of the dance’s overall concept.

“As a director, I provide structure and organization, but the performers have ownership,” Baker says.

“The designers and dancers are the intricate parts.”

The group practices once a week on Tuesday afternoons and will continue to practice for the rest of this academic year. Baker hopes they will be able to hold at least one public practice performance while they are still in the United States.

Van Osdel says the trip will provide a unique experience for student dancers.

“I think [the dance department] gives us a lot of opportunities,” Van Osdel says.

“If you’re willing to do anything and be open minded, you’ll have a lot of fun.”