Sunday dancing with style

Erika Brandt

Sundays after church aren’t just for turkey dinners and lazy afternoon naps.

Campus dance troupe Orchesis I and the Iowa State dance program have reserved one Sunday out of every year for something a little more sexy and seductive.

Sunday afternoon, the dancers will present their annual S.A.C. (Style, Attitude, Class) concert at The Maintenance Shop.

According to Janice Baker, director of dance at ISU, S.A.C. used to stand for “Sunday After Church,” but people didn’t understand what the concert was about.

Baker said the event is designed to show the community the broad scope of the dance opportunities at ISU.

“It is also an opportunity for the choreographers to meet students who are interested in dance and for those students to meet the choreographers,” Baker said. “The beauty of dance at ISU is that we are here and accessible to the ISU community.”

Using the M-Shop stage instead of the Fisher Theater or Stephens Auditorium stages gives the performance a more relaxed, informal feel, but it also gives the dancers a little less space.

“Space dictates a whole new way of moving,” Baker said. She added that the concert will contain many seductive pieces, emphasizing the bar atmosphere.

The concert will last for about an hour and will include dance styles such as tap, jazz, ballet, ballroom and modern dance, featuring performances by members of Orchesis I.

Riley Campney, member of Orchesis I, emphasized that this year’s performance will be more jazzy than performances in previous years.

One of Campney’s two pieces was choreographed by Jump, Rhythm, and Jazz, a Chicago dance company that visited campus for a summer workshop.

“One of the great things about Orchesis I is that we bring in special guests every week,” Campney said. “The S.A.C. is a good learning for people who haven’t seen a lot of dance performances.”