“Anyone can dance; if you have the heart for it, you can do it.” Orange City dance instructor and choreographer Rebecca Donahue said this is the big idea behind MomentuM: A Community Dance Experience. The show, which Donahue is coordinating, will feature diverse performances by local dancers.
Northwestern students have gotten in on the act. Sophomore Meghan Schuster has choreographed a dance that fellow NW students will perform. Schuster described her dance as “kind of a mix between jazz and ballet.” The dance will be performed to the Natalie Grant song “Human,” which Schuster chose because of its “powerful message” of making a difference in the world.
“We are human, but we can be used by God in great ways,” she said.
Schuster and her dancers have been rehearsing since September.
“There were times when I would get stuck and just have no idea what to do at a certain section of music. Thankfully, my dancers were very creative and helpful, so I got a lot of ideas and suggestions from them,” Schuster said.
While some of her dancers are seasoned experts, others have never danced before. The large number of beginners participating in MomentuM accomplishes exactly what Donahue set out to do.
“We want people to just try it. It’s an experience they won’t forget [and] it’s something everyone can be successful at,” she said.
Donahue, a NW alumnus, was chosen by the Orange City Arts Council to coordinate MomentuM because of her work organizing RUSH. The Council’s interest in a community dance concert was piqued by the campus event.
Donahue hopes MomentuM will share the passion she and all of the evening’s performers feel for dance.
“I’ve always felt that I connect to my story best through dance. I feel comfortable expressing myself that way… It’s emotional, and it expresses things with the whole body,” she said.
Schuster agreed. “Dance is a way to express myself. I am also passionate about music, and so combining the expression of music with the expression of dance takes things to a whole new level.”
Donahue encourages audience members to “see the talent we have in our own community” and “enjoy each dance for what it is.”
“Each audience member is going to have a completely different experience than the person sitting next to them [because] we’re not spoon-feeding the audience. They can interpret dances and relate them to their own lives however they want,” Donahue said.
The Orange City Arts Council will present MomentuM on Monday, Nov. 8, at the Orange City town hall at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
