Students from San Diego State University’s School of Music and Dance performed at City College campus April 8 offering insight of their strengths, knowledge and skills of university-level dance.
Professor of dance, Melissa Nunn, brought a group of dancers from SDSU to showcase their talents.
Four pieces were performed in a 45-minute span to a crowded room. City dancers packed in the C-227 dance studio to watch the pieces.
Two solos and two group numbers later, the audience got to chat with the dancers asking questions of inspiration and wisdom. The SDSU dancers shared that they have come from many different backgrounds.
The goal of the visit was to give an opportunity to City students to experience the culture of dance.
“An aspect of our program we feature is diversity,” Nunn said. “(Our program) is a more well-rounded thing when we appreciate each other.”
“We wanted State to come to help us understand and bridge the gap,” dance instructor Terri Shipman said.
Shipman went on to say, “We want to prepare you to move on to a four-year university. You will be expected to work at a choreographic level.”
City dancers can take a variety of classes to prepare themselves for university-level including a variety of styles and choreography classes.
SDSU senior Melisa Sanderson performed a solo from a recent European tour the University Dance Company took last year. The piece incorporated modern dance, improvisation and dialogue.
“We want to bring dance to viewers. We want to share our work,” Sanderson said.
Spectators experienced the personal environment of a performance in a studio. Each dancer performed with emotion and each choreographed movement was in sync and flowed from one step to the next.
The SDSU dancers also promoted their upcoming performances and talked about what they inspire to do with their Bachelors of Arts in Dance. Most replied with the hopes of joining a company and traveling to share their talents.
City is fortunate enough to have the professional talents of dance instructors who not only teach diligently, but also have connections with professor Nunn.
Nunn was a previous instructor and remains a long time friend of City dance professors Terri Shipman and Debi Toth-Ward. “We always support each other’s work. This is a lively, exciting dance community to be in,” said Nunn.
The SDSU dancers made City their first stop in promoting the culture in the community. The group will now make their way to the other community colleges in the area.
