LC dance troupes bust very different moves

Luther’s appreciation for the arts is clear through its various dance troupes. These groups share the love of dance but use different forms of dance to express it.

Last year, Xander Jeanneret (‘09) studied in Japan. When he returned to Luther he brought a dance form known as Yosakoi with him.

“Yosakoi is a type of dance that developed from working class people in Japan,” Jeanneret said. “Mostly danced by fishermen and construction workers, the movement reflects muscular poses.”

The modern take on Yosakoi is infused with aerobic moves. The dance form was first performed at festivals in Japan called matsuri.

“Yosakoi festivals themselves are also becoming very popular, with dance teams competing with each other,” said Jeanneret.

Compared to other dance groups on campus, Yosakoi holds roots in spirituality and strength.

“The ‘spirit’ of Yosakoi is a dedication to the hard work laborers do during their season and appreciating that,” said Jeanneret.

Jeanneret brought this dance to Luther in hopes of sharing with others one of the most “exciting and memorable experiences” from his stay in Japan. This is the first time the dance form has appeared at Luther, and is only the third established Yosakoi group in the United States.

Practices are held 9:00 pm on Wednesdays in Studio 2 of the CFA and 9:00 pm on Thursdays in Studio 1. Anyone can join at any time.

The group (which currently has 22 members) performed Sept. 29 at Marty’s Open Mic night. Their biggest performance of the academic year will be with the St. Olaf Taiko Drum Club for the Peace Prize Forum in February held at St. Olaf (Minn.).

Another group on campus is the LC Dance Team. The team performs at home basketball and football games.

“Our routines are usually a mixture of kick, jazz, hip hop and pom, which differs from other groups such as Eklipse, which mainly performs hip hop,” said team member Christine Richardson (‘09).

Richardson said things are a bit confusing right now since the team does not yet have official practice times.

“We have a bit of a struggle finding practice space because other sports teams have first priority of gym and court space,” Richardson said.

Anyone who has previous dance experience is invited to try out for the Dance Team. Auditions are held twice a year at the beginning of each semester. There are 19 girls on the team this year, nine of whom are freshmen. The Dance Team will perform at the homecoming game.