Room to Dance

Movement and Meaning Collide in “Room to Dance” at Santa Fe College 

Santa Fe College closes out its 2024–2025 dance season with “Room to Dance,” an exciting, student-driven performance featuring eight original works choreographed by students in the Spring Dance Composition class. The performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall, Northwest 83 Street, Gainesville. 
 
This showcase will highlight a range of styles—including contemporary dance, hip hop, ballet, musical theatre, tap and more—brought to life by a talented company of 24 SF student performers. 
 
The student choreographers have worked throughout the year to gain experience in various dance styles and develop their voices through instruction with faculty and guest choreographers. After training in the professional choreographic process as members of the Dance Theatre of Santa Fe Ensemble, they culminate their journey in the Dance Composition course by creating original works for “Room to Dance.” Throughout the process, they collaborate closely with professional production staff and students from SF’s Technical Theatre program, learning how to design, produce and present a full-scale performance. 
 

“Being a dance major requires them not only to be trained performers, but they must also attain skills in leadership, promotion, arts advocacy, creativity, critical thinking and public speaking,” Assistant Professor of Dance Melissa Brenner said. “They practice these skills by hosting an audition, researching a concept for their work, leading rehearsal processes with a great deal of thought and care to build an engaging environment, working directly with professional technical staff, working backstage to set up and strike their show, participating in a photo shoot, promoting their show, and finally speaking at the Q&A.” 

 
This final step—presenting their work to an audience and discussing it publicly—is an essential part of their training. Following each performance, audience members are invited to stay for a Q&A session with the student choreographers. This interactive dialogue provides deeper insight into the artistic process behind each piece while giving choreographers a chance to articulate their creative choices. 
 
Tickets are $16 for adults; $10 for seniors, students, military service members, and children 12 and under. SF students, faculty, and staff with college ID cards are admitted free of charge. Tickets can be purchased at the Fine Arts Hall Box Office by calling 352-395-4181 or online at Showpass. 

“Room to Dance” is sponsored and organized by the Santa Fe College Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology Department.