Quiet hums, flashes from digital cameras and quick footwork filled the backstage moments before dances came alive at Illuminate 2026. Dancers arrived at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo early the morning of Feb. 21 to get ready in the dressing rooms. Performers touched up their braids, put on their costumes and shared excited […]
Tag: Dance
Posted inIlluminate 2026
Dance and determination: Inside United Movement’s intense ‘Hell Week’
As temperatures sink into the low 40’s mid-February, San Luis Obispo becomes a ghost town, with students and locals alike relishing in the luxury known as centralized heating. However, in the University Union Plaza, the steady thump of bass and synchronized footsteps wore on and on, with the echoes lasting until the early morning hours. […]
Posted inOpinion
I did ‘Lose my Breath’ watching Illuminate this year
It’s rare to see jazz, hiphop, Chinese lion dance, Mexican folk dance and ballroom all on the same stage within the span of a single show. Cal Poly students, families and community members were lucky to experience exactly that at Illuminate this past Saturday.
Posted inTop Stories
Tappy hour: An open tap workshop for all levels
Tappy Hour, a free event held on Fridays from 4 to 5 p.m., provides an accessible and low-impact dance experience for all experience levels, with a warmup, “across the floor” and a final combination taught by a student or assistant professor of dance.
Posted inOpinion
Zumba is more than just a workout, it helps me feel free
What could be more fun than doing something you’re bad at for an hour in a dark, hot room with thirty other people who are better at it than you? The correct answer is probably anything—unless we’re talking about the Rec’s Wednesday night Zumba class.
Posted inen Español
Conectando con las raíces culturales a través del Folklórico en Cal Poly
Read the English version here. El 23 de febrero, varios grupos de danza en Cal Poly participaron en Illuminate, una competencia de danza a nivel nacional. Muchos grupos, como el club de danza folklórica, aprovecharon esta oportunidad para traer cultura y tradición a la comunidad universitaria. En Cal Poly, la danza folklórica sirve como un […]
Posted inFeatures
Performing at Illuminate, a showcase uniting cultural dance communities
This is a cross-published piece with KCPR, more information can be found here. In a nook of the recreational center to the loading docks between buildings, Cal Poly’s dance teams spent months perfecting their steps to match the beat of the music and every single pointed toe. Their dedication will culminate in one moment: the drawing […]
Posted inMNTV
‘Rhythms of Resilience’ celebrates Black History Month through dance
This past weekend, the College of Liberal Arts Student Diversity Committee hosted a dance workshop in honor of Black History Month called ‘Rhythms of Resilience.’ Reporter Emmy Burrus spoke to some of the instructors and an event organizer to find out which dances they taught.
Posted inFeatures
Cal Poly’s United Movement gives dancers a home away from home
Ten years ago, Katrina Swenson-Aguirre locked herself in her bedroom, determined to teach herself how to dance with nothing but YouTube and a dream. “I always wanted to dance, but I was a really shy child,” Swenson-Aguirre said. Now, English senior Swenson-Aguirre is the co-president of one of Cal Poly’s largest dance teams: United Movement, […]
Posted inNews
Collaboration fuels the Cal Poly Orchesis Dance Company’s latest show, Elevate
Cal Poly Orchesis Dance Company will present a second weekend of performances for Elevate, from Jan. 23-25 in Spanos Theater. The annual concert first premiered on Jan. 17-18. The show’s 14 contemporary pieces are choreographed by faculty, student dancers, and two guest choreographers. The show consists of two acts, each act featuring seven pieces. The […]
Posted inNews
Polaris: Students direct, perform and choreograph dance show at Cal Poly
17 dancers glided across the stage as if they were in a long dream in the opening sequence of the Polaris Dance Concert, with music that the choreographer Emily Olster hoped to be “a little bit strange.”