Cerritos College is holding auditions this Friday for the Cerritos College Repertory Dance Ensemble, also known as Rep.
Rep., formerly lead by Maha Afra, has performed for Cypress College and ELAC, and participates in the fall and spring dance concerts.
Liberal arts major Aileen Rios has been dancing with Rep. since spring 2010. She is minoring in dance and wants to one day be a dance teacher.
Rios, who has been dancing since the age of eleven, says Rep. covers a variety of dances and finds it to be a fun and rewarding experience.
Susanna Benavides, double majoring in graphic design and dance, has also been dancing with Rep. since Spring 2010.
Benavides loves dancing for Rep. because it exposes her to new forms of dance. This upcoming semester, she is excited for the arrival of the new dance instructor, Rebekah Davidson.
Davidson has an extended background in modern dance that Benavides believes will help her better her technique.
Davidson has been teaching dance for 10 years. Davidson, who has worked with organizations such as CSULB, Renaissance Arts Academy, and National Dance Institute, believes that, “whether or not you intend to be a professional dancer, dance can benefit you in life.
“Dance goes beyond exercise, it’s good for your soul.”
She graduated with a B.S.A. in dance from the University of Texas and received her M.S.A. in dance from CSULB.
She’s been working with Cerritos College for three years, but this is her first semester instructing Rep.
She is very excited to work with this year’s dancers and in regards to Maha she says, “I have big shoes to fill. Maha has been an amazing teacher.”
She plans to focus on modern and contemporary dance and bring in other choreographers to teach different types of dance.
She is looking for dancers with, “enough skill to have developed an individual artistic voice,” but she says people with charisma, energy, determination and artistry are all welcome too.
Students attending the auditions can expect to be taught different dance combinations and be able to remember and perform them.
Students who love to dance and have charisma and energy should report to FA 55 at 3 p.m. Friday, August 27.
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