Dance company offers free ballet classes

    Dance classes can be expensive, but the Murray State Dance Company offers a solution to economic woes by offering free ballet classes weekly at the Carr Health Dance Studio.
    Maggie Gorman, president of the Murray State Dance Company and senior from Louisville, Ky., is the instructor.
    The class began two years ago and was opened up to non-company members this past semester by popular demand. 
    “The class was originally meant to be a way for members of the company to get together once a week and have a stress-free rehearsal,” Gorman said. “Now non-members can come to the class and get to know us as well as gain dancing experience that could help them in auditions for the company.”
    Gorman said many dancers come from strict studios, so she wanted to provide dancers with completely relaxed classes.
    Sophia Blunt, freshman from Buchanan, Tenn., said she decided to take the class because she likes ballet. 
    “The class is a way to relax and get away from stressful things,” she said.
    The class typically has around 15 dancers, many of whom have years of dance experience. Gorman said she has danced for 18 years and is trained in ballet, modern and jazz. 
    However, Gorman said anyone can participate at the class level.
    “Some of the members have never danced before or have never had formal training,” Gorman said.  “To see them improve is really cool.”
    Each class consists of barre work, stretching and conditioning, and every dancer has a favorite.
    “My favorite part of the class is the barre because I haven’t been able to do it since I was five so it’s different and new,” Noel Haskett, freshman from O’Fallon, Ill., said.
    Gorman said she plays different kinds of music in the class.
    “These dancers have been listening to some of the same music their whole lives, so I like to play something new and they seem to respond really well,” she said. 
    The classes are focused not only on dance, but also on getting in shape. Gorman said rehearsals are not enough to keep the dancers in shape and a main goal of the class is a good workout. 
    “We have a really diverse and talented group of people in the company,” Gorman said.
    She said she wanted to make sure non-company members have a way to get to know other dancers.
    “It’s nice to have people around who love the same thing you do,” she said. 
    If ballet is not your preferred dance style, Gorman said the company is planning a tap class for next semester.
    The class meets 6 p.m. Tuesdays in the Carr Health Dance Studio. Workout attire is recommended and ballet shoes are not required.
    Contact Booth at jamie.booth@murraystate.edu.