Texas Tech University

In Motion: American College Dance Association

Kyla Olson

April 1, 2022

Kyla Olson

ACDAWhile many students were relaxing in sunny locales and enjoying time off for Spring Break, seventeen of our dance students participated in the American College Dance Association South-Central Conference at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. ACDA's sponsorship of regional and national dance festivals provides the venue for students to engage in four days of workshops, lecture/demonstrations, and master classes taught by instructors from around the region and country. The festival also provides the unique opportunity for students and faculty to have their dance works adjudicated by a panel of nationally recognized dance professionals in an open and constructive forum. Culminating with the presentation of pieces selected for their exemplary artistic quality, the festivals are the primary means for college and university dance programs to perform outside their own academic setting, exposing students to the diversity of the national college dance world.

For four days, our students participated in a variety of classes, workshops, and performances with faculty and students from twenty-three universities in Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, Arizona, and Tennessee. The conference adjudicators were KT Niehoff, an independent artist based in Seattle; James Sutton, a renowned ballet teacher and choreographer; and Helanius J. Wilkins, an innovative choreographer/performance artist/educator/activist who served as an adjudicator when TTU hosted this conference in 2014. The adjudicators provided positive feedback to our students on their technical prowess and full embodiment of the movement in their performances. 

We were thrilled to take three student works to present at the conference: “Slipping Away” by Karson Hood and “Eucharist” by Amanda May, and as an informal concert “Life's Hurricane” by Berkley Stone. 

Stone described her experience at ACDA as “amazing”: “I enjoyed being able to present my piece…the many inspirational dancers and colleagues there were supportive of each school's work.” 

For many of our students, this was their first experience at ACDA. 

“Bringing my piece to ACDA was an eye-opening experience,” says Amanda May. “Receiving feedback from the adjudicators helped me to understand the bigger picture of storytelling in dance.” 


For one student, Karson Hood, this was an opportunity to finally showcase his choreography, originally scheduled in 2020 but canceled due to pandemic. He was given another opportunity to present a new work at this year's conference, something that felt extra special to Hood: “Attending ACDA again after the two-year hiatus brought me much joy, and I'm very hopeful for the future of dance.” 

ACDAIndeed, those attending the conference after a two-year gap shared that same joy and hope. Bella Bennett, a first year BFA dance major, reflected on her first experience at the conference: “One of the most important things I learned from ACDA was how much you can learn from your fellow peers…I felt like a sponge soaking in every bit of information, not just from the instructors but from my classmates. “

We were also thrilled that Lane Swenson, one of our Dance MA Studies students, joined us at the conference. Lane, who has a background in ballroom dance, taught two different ballroom dance classes and presented on his current research of ballroom dance styles in concert dance. Interacting with faculty and students, he showcased his skillset as a guest artist and received helpful feedback on his research.

For some, this four-day dance conference can be exhausting and overwhelming, but we all felt fed by the experience of seeing colleagues and creative work from other universities; I, especially, enjoyed watching our students experience this conference for the first time. I know how much I gained from ACDA as an undergraduate and graduate student, and am thrilled we were able to provide that same experience for our students.

ACDA