Liz O'Connor

This fall marked my first year of not going back to school. The greatest thing I miss about August is all of preparation for the new year of Dance Theatre! I miss exec dinner at LKR’s house the night before classes start, auditions and initiation, the first company class that leaves you sore for days, and starting rehearsals for the winter concerts. I miss hearing everyone’s ideas for pieces they are going to show and getting to know the new company members. Even though I’ve only been away from Oxford for a few months, I know that I will miss each day I am not in Phillips alongside the other DTers. Dance Theatre defined my college experience and helped me to grow as both a dancer and a person. It helped me to mature as a modern dancer, to be better at improv, to trust a fellow dancer to hold me during partnering work, and to feel confident in my “earth” (not “air”) dance persona that LKR declared during one of my first apprentice classes. Being a part of exec for three years allowed me to become even more involved in the company. I had the opportunity of working closely with Lana Kay and helping to organize classes taught by guest teachers from around the country, trips to NYC in the fall, and ACDFA in the spring. Following Ali Tanker’s “school day of dance” theme for Dance Rep performances brings back even better memories… “Do you guys eat cookies?” and putting on my most embarrassing (and entertaining) performance which entailed busting out some hip-hop in LKR’s bright yellow tennies in a gym filled with hundreds of elementary school students. I met some of the most important people in my life through DT and doubt that I will ever feel the same connection to any group of people in the future. I will always cherish my time with Dance Theatre and feel privileged to be a part of the DT family!