As Dance Guild enters its 53rd year at Calvin, the organization is navigating a transition away from its former status as a student organization and the addition of a third show while preparing to invest in its future.
Dance Guild transitioned away from being a student org under the Center for Student Engagement in 2022. According to Clara Tolsma, Dance Guild’s publicity coordinator, the organization now works closely with the Department of Visual and Performing Arts to coordinate performances — and the shift hasn’t affected the interest in the show.
The last few years have seen so much success that, “this year, for the first time, we added a Saturday afternoon show,” Tolsma said.
Tolsma and CJ Dicks, Dance Guild’s media coordinator, are optimistic about the opportunities a third show will present. According to Dicks, “in the past, we’ve sold out both of our shows and have run into situations where we have people emailing us hoping that there are extra reserved tickets. We’re hoping that adding a third show will allow everyone to see the show who wants to see the show.”
Tolsma is optimistic about Dance Guild’s ability to sell well across all three shows, telling Chimes that peer-to-peer word of mouth has brought in most of the ticket sales during her time with Dance Guild. “Our Instagram has less than 1,000 followers…but I think all the participants repost things, or they tell their friends, and that just brings in so many different people, which is really awesome.”
Selling over 2,000 tickets twice a year (and potentially more this semester) generates a significant amount of revenue, which will be used to support Dance Guild’s future. According to Sophia Pani, Dance Guild’s treasurer, “the revenues we make get distributed back into the show.” Much of the funding generated goes to paying for costumes for the 300-plus students who are involved, but the rest gets put into savings to generate interest for future investments.
According to both Pani and Dicks, Dance Guild is currently saving for a new Marley floor for the show. The CFAC stage used for the show has various PA system boxes housed beneath the floor, as well as a lift, meaning that it is not completely smooth — and potentially hazardous for certain styles of dancing. The current floor has, according to Dicks, “seen better days,” so the organization is preparing to invest in a new one.
Tolsma and Dicks were eager to encourage students to attend this year’s show. Tolsma said that “dance creates a community, and not only for our dancers, but for Calvin as a whole.” She emphasized the show’s theme for the semester — “I wanna dance with somebody” — and pointed to the togetherness created from having over a thousand students in one room watching their friends and peers. Dicks agreed, saying that “it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll see someone that you at least sort of know on the stage.”
