Penn State's chapter of NHSDA allows students to perform and choreograph once a semester, and allows students to graduate with Honors in dance. I was involved since the inception of the Penn State chapter in Spring 2014, performing regularly in student work. I also choreographed frequently; the first piece was titled “Breaking Free” and occurred during Project Coldplay, a suite of works to Coldplay music, loosely connected with transitions. I worked with a cast of five and used predominantly contemporary movement. The next spring, I choreographed a trio (also contemporary) to “She’s Got You” by Rhionnon Giddens. This piece focused heavily on narrative, telling a story through movement without relying on the lyrics. Finally, I choreographed a tap piece titled “Wade” to the song “Wade in the Water” by Sweet Honey in the Rock (pictured). This proved a challenge to teach and clean since the music is so intricately layered. Additionally, I worked to incorporate full body movement in my choreography.

My responsibilities as Vice President were myriad and plentiful. Over the summer, Ana (the President) and I met on numerous occasions to plan for the year. We met with the School of Theatre to schedule our fall show, scheduled our auditions, and organized all of the surrounding details (everything from who taught choreography to typing up and printing audition forms). We stayed in contact with the rest of the executive board through weekly meetings where we delegated tasks. During the year, we had to deal with some complications with our show venue, which meant we spent time searching for available venues, communicating with venues, and meeting with the Production Manager of Schwab Auditorium. Ana and I met often to collaboratively manage and oversee the rest of the executive board and the choreographers.