For students at Elizabethtown College, a wide variety of clubs cater to a range of academic and extracurricular interests. Oftentimes, these clubs engage students in interesting, rewarding experiences which help them build skills, make friends and improve overall well-being. One club which does an excellent job in all these areas is the Elizabethtown College Dance Team (ECDT).
EDCT was founded in 2013 as a way for experienced dancers to continue or expand upon their dance careers at a collegiate level. The group is audition-based and focuses on a wide variety of dance styles. Current EDCT officers include senior Mikayla Close (Captain), junior Emma-Li Peters (Co-Captain), junior Heather Guthrie (Co-Captain), sophomore Alyssa Crane (Secretary), junior Rebecca Lane (Treasurer) and sophomore Olivia Fabiano (Social Media Manager/Costumer). The team itself has twelve members who all work to create and learn dances for a number of performances throughout the year.
Although the club is geared towards advanced or experienced dancers, ECDT has no specific requirements about the particular number or type of experience members need to have to audition. At the end of every August, ECDT hosts auditions to choose the team for the year, selecting dancers based on their skills, personality and passion. Students of any year are welcome to audition; auditions normally involve learning sections from upcoming dances, demonstrating floor skills, center turns and any special tricks they may have. Students interested in auditioning have much to look forward to: regular performances, learning new skills, annual Christmas parties and big/little relationships are all ways the club strives to build a supportive, family dynamic within the group. First-year Kaitlyn Davis says “Everyone is so sweet, welcoming and always ready to have fun!”
Upcoming performances open to the campus community include “One Elle of a Night,” on March 24 at 7 p.m in Leffler Chapel. ECDT puts on this performance to raise money for the Elle Foundation, a group which works with children with cancer to give them happy memories throughout their treatment. The club will be performing and selling raffle tickets to raise money for the Elle Foundation, with prizes going to raffle winners. Other performances scheduled for the spring semester are on all Accepted Student Days: Feb. 11, March 18, and April 1. On Feb. 25, the club is also performing as part of Girl’s Night Out (GNO), and on April 14 at Relay for Life. First-year Rachel Troutman comments on ECDT performances, saying “The ECDT is very energetic and fun to watch. I love seeing them at halftime because it adds to the student morale during games.”
To keep updated on upcoming performances, audition dates and any other information, students can follow the ECDT social media accounts. The club mainly uses Instagram (@elizabethtowndance), but they also use Facebook (@EtownDanceTeam), Twitter (@elizabethtowndt) and TikTok (@elizabethtowncollegedanceteam). The club also posts performances on YouTube (@ElizabethtownCollegeDanceTeam). For the best information on the club’s performances, as well as to view photos, videos and more, these social media accounts are a great point of contact. With so many talented dancers dedicated to their craft, ECDT performances are well worth the watch for any students—dancers or not.
