As DVDs, YouTube videos and newspaper clippings evidence, Sing Song has changed over the years. Props have gotten bigger, costumes have become more elaborate, and the line between what is considered “dancing” and what is permissible as “choreography” has blurred.
Making history, two new ACU dance companies, Omega and Sanctify, are set to perform several routines in their own styles during this year’s Sing Song production.
Both dance teams sped up audition processes and got straight to business when it came time to prepare for Sing Song.
Kelcie Broom, sophomore art major from Richardson and member of Omega Dance Company, ACU’s jazz-contemporary revue, said since Omega’s auditions the first weekend after classes began, the company has practiced multiple times a week.
Kirby Wilkerson, freshman elementary education major from Abilene and a member of Sanctify, said her company also conducted auditions for the team just before Sing Song practices began.
A part of Sanctify since its origins at her family’s dance studio, Dance Discovery, Wilkerson described the company as a core-hip hop group. She said the group’s practices have intensified as Sing Song looms nearer.
“As of lately, it’s been extremely crammed. We’ve had three-hour practices, and if we go to Moody and it doesn’t look good, we go to the studio,” Wilkerson said. “We’re all fatigued, but coming down to crunch time, we’ve been practicing nonstop, just cleaning and tightening.
Wilkerson said rest won’t come until after Sing Song’s last performance Saturday night.
“There’s always something we can fix,” she said, “the bar can never be raised high enough.”
Wilkerson said her team is anxious to perform their dances in Sing Song, knowing hip hop isn’t traditionally a part of the show.
“There’s so much more to hip hop dancing than gyrating and pelvic thrusting,” she said. “We wanted to showcase how we praise our Father, and we just want to show the university and alumni that hip hop dancing isn’t as negative as society makes it out to be.”
The teams agree and hope the audience perceives the performances as another way of praising God and using the skills with which he has blessed them.
“Being a hip hop company doesn’t limit us, we are versatile as well,” Wilkerson said. “So Sing Song is the perfect opportunity for us to show our God-given talents, because we do want Sanctify to grow and get more members, and here we can show that we are a good, dedicated and Godly group.”
Sarah Boleslawski, junior communications major from Spring and a founding member of Omega, said spectators usually are shocked at the skill level of the dancers, so she’s excited for her company’s chance to prove itself in front of such a significant audience.
“It’s just another chance for us to glorify God and show the gifts he’s given us,” she said.
Although the two companies share a stage at this year’s Sing Song production, along with ACU dance staples Shades and Swing Cats, Wilkerson said she doesn’t anticipate a competitive atmosphere.
“Some people assumed we would butt heads, but we are all friends. We bond through moving our bodies and through music, so its been nice to see them every day and give each other feedback to help all the other groups’ performances,” Boleslawski said. “There’s so much culture in dance. We have four different dance groups. Sanctify, Shades, Swing Cats and Omega all have different styles. It’s great, because different dancers have different talents.”
Broom, who said she grew closer to many of her fellow company dancers through the audition process and Sing Song experience, believes the coherence of the groups will help communicate their shared message.
“I am so excited about our dynamic,” she said. “Our purpose is to create community and glorify God through our dance and that’s definitely what we do.”
