Jedi Dance will host their event “The Masquerade” on April 2 at 7:30p.m. at the E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium.
The group incorporates hip-hop, R&B and reggae dance styles and consists of two teams: dancing and stepping.
Senior and current club president Garesha Ferguson, who joined Jedi during her freshman year said that the group has a meeting every year just to come up with themes for future events.
“Before the semester begins we try plan everything out,” she said. “Like the theme is masquerade”“So what dances are we going to do?”
For the masquerade theme every dance will be different and has it’s own theme as well. The masks helps convey that.
Senior and vice president Shauna Ingram, who has been stepping since sixth grade said the Masquerade is their only themed show of the year.
“Our show in the fall is the benefit, which is an outlet to showcase our talents,” Ingram said. “Our spring show is more about us as a group so we do focus on a theme.”
Jedi has been preparing for “The Masquerade” for quite some time. Practices commenced as soon as spring semester began. Practices are four times a week and last usually two hours but can occasionally go to four.
A typical practice includes stretching, going over what parts of dance routines that they already know and going over parts they need to work on.
“We run through each routine and we practice them,” Ferguson said. “Every dance routine gets a day and we break it down step by step. It’s time where we fix what needs to be fixed.”
There are also different choreographers and they get to teach to their dance to the group.
The days leading up to the “Masquerade” will be dubbed “Jedi Week.” Jedi Week will consist of an informational meeting to get know more about the team, a game and a karaoke night, jeopardy and a performance at the Organization for Women of Ethnicity fashion show.
“I think it occurred to us that a lot of people don’t know what exactly we do,” Ingram said. “The whole point of Jedi Week is to bring awareness to the club and that people know about the show as well.”
Freshman Allison Badillo is excited to finally show what they’ve been working on and their hard work pay off.
Badillo who joined the team last semester said that Jedi isn’t all about dancing.
“We are a family and we work hard,” she said. I want people on campus to be able to see that,” she said.
Badillo said as the event gets closer and their practicing schedule increases things are obviously going to get a little harder but it’ll all worth it when they step on stage.
“People can expect to see different dance cultures coming together to put on one great show,” Ferguson said.
Tickets for PSUC students are $4 and available online at tickets.plattsburgh.edu and at the Angell Center Desk.
Email David Luces at fuse@cardinalpointsonline.com
