Penn State has dance groups?

Ah, the frequent reaction of so many surprised students. Yes, indeed, many student dance troupes rehearse around campus, and they have decided to make their presence known.

As part of tomorrow night's Late Night Penn State, the members of Tapestry, Volé, Penn State International Dance Ensemble, NOMMO and Orchesis are putting on their dancing shoes at 10 p.m. for a dance exhibition on the ground floor of the HUB-Robeson Center.

This event will be first time the groups ever perform together. Orchesis secretary Alyse Sciolla (sophomore-public relations) realized the community needed to recognize the dance programs at Penn State when the university almost cut the dance minor.

"We wanted to put together a performance that everyone could see, to show what dancing at Penn State is all about," Sciolla said.

Laura Bracken (senior-biolgoy), treasurer of Tapestry, agreed.

"A lot of the dance groups don't really get much recognition," she said. "We said it would be really cool if we all came together."

Orchesis member Sarah Burnett (freshman-chemistry) said the aim of the collaboration is "to show what Penn State has to offer in dance."

The ensemble will be performing all student-choreographed pieces, including modern dances with one in a jazzy Broadway style, Burnett added.

Lauren Petrasek (senior-marketing), president of Orchesis, explained that there is one crucial part of the group's dances.

"All of Orchesis' pieces have meaning; that's our style of dance," she said. "You have an idea, and then [with] every movement you think, how can that bring out the idea?"

Tapestry focuses on contemporary portrayals of tap dancing, with one piece set to the disco classic "Stayin' Alive," said Vice President Megan Green (junior-political science).

Bracken is excited to see the material that the rest of the groups will be performing.

Another group set to take stage, NOMMO, performs West African dances, Vice President Christina Martinez (junior-communication sciences and disorders) said.

"We usually incorporate some modern and other various forms of dance, but we are doing West African at the show to provide the community with some African culture," she said.

The Penn State International Dance Ensemble performs dances from several countries, and Volé performs strictly ballet.