Citrus Dance Company director, Jennifer Allgair said she started dancing at a young age after she “begged her mom to put her in dance lessons.”
Her co-director Renee Liskey said she immediately felt the pull of the profession when she started
“It’s always felt like home to me,” Liskey said.
After decades of dancing the pair said they want to spread their love of rhythmic motion with their community.
“It just is very rewarding to be able to go back to somewhere that gave you so much when you were young, to be able to come back and sorta pay that forward,” Liskey said. “It’s very fulfilling.”
She said she hopes to mentor young Citrus dancers as she was.
Their program took auditions for the Citrus Dance Company from Aug. 31 to Sept. 7, to determine who performs in the Fall Dance Concert.
The company will ascend the stage in the Haugh Performing Arts Center on Nov. 9.
Dancers will perform student and faculty choreographed pieces. All the money from ticket sales funds future student shows.
The Citrus Dance Company consists of student dancers dedicated to their art.
“They are showing up on weekdays, including Fridays and Saturdays for the bulk of the day, where they work together to create choreography,” Allgaier said. “It’s a big time commitment.”
Students create several dance routines in the performance. Two student-choreographers, Sierra Breese and Lucas Howard, described their choreography.
“The first step is trying to find the style of dance we want to do, and a song to dance to,” Howard said.
Breese agreed they learned by trial and error.
“A lot of it is just going ‘Hey, that would be cool, let’s try that!'” Breese said.
Breese and Howard will perform a duet at the Fall Concert. Both members of the duo had at least 4 years of dance experience before auditioning for the company.
Although many in the company are experienced, the directors welcome newcomers. But they are encouraged to take technique courses at Citrus before auditioning.
“Our students really range from ‘I’ve never danced in my entire life’ to people who have danced for up to 8 years,” Allgair said. “And everything in between.”
Liskey and Allgair are also dance professors. Liskey started as a Citrus student before becoming a Citrus professor.
Both Liskey and Allgier said joining the company is beneficial to those who do not plan on dancing professionally.
“(Students) can come away from it going, ‘you know what, when I was in college I had a couple semesters where I did dance and I got to be in a show under the lights, on a huge stage,'” Liskey said. “And that’s something you don’t lose — that’s something you take with you.”
Allgier said many students continue studying dance at a 4-year university or performing professionally. She said the dance company is the chance for their “dance moment.”
“Age comes with reevaluating your relationship with dance,” Allgier said. “You have to change how you think about it.”
The Citrus Dance Company welcomes all levels and styles of dance from hip hop to ballet.
Students only spoke positively about the company.
“It’s the most supportive department out of all the performing arts departments at Citrus,” Breese said. “Everyone is genuinely supportive of one another.”
