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One of the greatest joys in life is realizing what you want to do with the rest of your own. For fourth-year theater student Molly Schenk, this realization came early on.
Molly, like many girls, took dance at a young age. Around the age of seven, she took a break from dancing because she “couldn’t take it anymore.” Molly was determined she was finished with dancing, but her mother knew better.
“My mom purposely took me to a dance show later, and between the costumes and the lights, she kind of planned that I would like it and want to get back into [dance],” Molly explained. “I started again in fourth grade, and I’ve been dancing ever since.”
More than a decade after swearing off dancing, Molly is at the University of Maine studying theater, with minors in dance and studio art. She splits her time between school, working as a resident assistant, being an officer in the Dance Club, choreographing on and around campus and working on her own shows.
While she favors jazz over other styles of dance, she boasts having “tried it all.” On campus she participates in modern dance and ballet. She’s choreographing a ballet with professor Terry Lacy. Molly describes the show as “not a typical ballet . set to the music of Carmina Burana.” The cast consists mainly of members of the Robinson Ballet, but Molly has also recruited friend and student Anthony Arnista to provide “comic relief.”
“It’s basically the story of a father and wife who have their own set of issues and are trying to figure out which son of theirs [is going] to take over the company. It’s fun, really intense,” Molly said.
Choreographing has become as much of a love for Molly as dance. As her time as a UMaine undergraduate comes to a close, Molly looks back on the major highlights of her time at UMaine. One particular event stands out among the others.
“My junior year, I choreographed and directed a show called ‘It’s Not That Simple,’ and it really changed how I approach choreographing and blending together theater and dance. It was something new, and it was on my own. I really liked having the challenge.”
Coming up next, Molly is directing her own one-act play, on campus. Beyond that, she hopes to go on to graduate school and spend the rest of her life directing, choreographing and dancing.
Bangor Daily News