On Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20 the Repertory Dance Group (RDG) will be holding its fall performance titled “Can’t Touch This.” Both shows will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the Urban Grace Church Auditorium and Performing Arts Center, located in downtown Tacoma.
Transportation to Urban Grace is available for audience members, and buses will leave from Greek Row and Diversions starting at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Info Center and cost five dollars for students or seven dollars for the public.
RDG is a dance club on campus that has around 220 members this semester and provides “a rare glimpse at [Puget Sound] school spirit,” Steffen Minner said.
“RDG is such a unifying club here on campus, with dedicated representatives from numerous athletic teams, organizations, and every graduating class. The club consists of all levels of experience and interest in dance, but each member brings his or her individual light and energy to this stage,” RDG President and choreographer Allison Schoening said.
“RDG is a fun way to get out there and express yourself and perform for your peers without too much pressure,” RDG Co-Class Coordinator and choreographer Aly Dwyer said.
For the first time the RDG performances will be held at the Urban Grace Church Auditorium and Performing Arts Center. The change in location occurred because the previous location, Wilson High School, was already booked with their own events according to Dwyer.
“We are so excited to be working with Urban Grace, and this transition has in fact tightened our community as the Facilities Manager at Urban Grace is a UPS alum!” Schoening said. “It seems as though they are just as ecstatic to be working with us,” she continued.
Of course there are always negatives about changing locations, but the officers of RDG are upbeat about the changes.
“As of right now the stage seems awkward to us but we are going to work it out,” Dwyer said, but asserting that the venue is a legitimate performing arts center.
“[The officers are] working to ease this anxiety [of changing locations] by just being flexible and willing to go with the new, potentially awesome, flow of things. The facility is stunning and these adjustments are going to be well worth our time and effort,” Schoening stated.
But even with such a diverse club there is some controversy surrounding RDG.
“[RDG] attracts ‘nice’ girls who probably aren’t actually that nice considering that their performances fail to conceal a very visible RDG hierarchy,” Minner said. “RDG is one of UPS’s most visible stereotypes, like Passages Leaders or KUPS DJs,” he elaborated.
In response to the club being hierarchical, Dwyer stated that that is the result of some leadership roles and in the past, the “officers were really intimidating.” As an officer herself this year, Dwyer said it has been a goal to make the club friendlier.
“We are all there to have fun and we all have the same purpose and goal. As officers, we are there to make it better for members,” Dwyer said. RDG member Elizabeth Basalto agreed, asserting that the officers are “making it fun as opposed to scary.”
But amidst all of this, why should students go and see the show?
“We have a lot of really great dances this semester and a great sampling of genres,” Dwyer said. It is also a great opportunity to see your peers perform and it is “fun to see how much work they put into it and how much fun they are having” Basalto said.
“These shows are the culmination of the time and commitment of 220 members of our student body. I hope these shows inspire you all to try something new, and maybe freshen up on some new dance moves of your own,” Schoening stated.
[PHOTO COURTESY / ANDREW SHERIDAN]