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Over Easter, the general student population may be hunting for eggs or worshiping but eight University of Maine dancers will be on their way to the Caribbean.
First-year students Tasha Kinsbury and Margaret Rodrigue; second-year students Elizabeth Blake, Rachel Waterbury and Angela Higgins; and third-year students Sarah Paul, Danica Poulin and Fawn Wentworth will be spending a week performing on the cruise ship Sensation. The cruise will travel from Florida to Cozumel, the Grand Caymans and New Orleans.
The group has been dancing together for nearly two years. Though they dance together, the members come from different dancing backgrounds and concentrations. Along with taking part in the UMaine dance team, they also are involved with University of Maine dance showcases. Some of the group maintain their dancing technique with teachers off campus while some are dance minors and take the opportunity to take the classes offered.
A year ago, Blake was approached by a dance instructor from Augusta about the possibility of performing on the cruise line. With football season being quite hectic, the girls decided to wait until after the season ended to begin rehearsing for the cruise line.
Once onboard the Sensation, the UMaine group will join with two dozen other girls from across the state. The UMaine group will perform three pieces; one set to a Broadway song, “City Lights,” a Latin dance choreographed by Blake and a funk number choreographed by Wentworth. Being asked to choreograph was an honor that both Blake and Wentworth were pleased to have bestowed upon them.
Preparing for the show took time, dedication and patience. The girls have been holding rehearsals since football season ended in November and lately can be found in the Class of 1944 Hall dance studio every Tuesday and Thursday night. Though only scheduled to practice for two hours, they very often stay for extra practice.
A few weeks ago, the girls received the costumes they will wear in the finale of the show. However, the sizes were wrong and too large for all of the girls. Luckily, Rodrigue’s mother was kind and talented enough to fix the costumes.
The show will not be held until Thursday, April 19, but until then the girls will be busy rehearsing as well as lounging on the decks of the ship “bikini clad and soaking up the sun” according to Wentworth. Though the practicing can be rigorous and tremendously demanding both physically and mentally on the girls, the end result will be worth the time and effort that they’ve put in. Wentworth looks at the group and sees them as dynamic dancers who can adapt and pick up intricate routines quickly and have the drive to master each step.
Bangor Daily News