Students get down, fight AIDS in dance

NE and NW campus students will dance to raise funds for a New York organization that battles AIDS.

A series of events called Dancing for Dollars will be held inside and outside the NSTU Center Corner Feb. 18.

The events include a silent auction/garage sale 9 a.m.-3 p.m. outside Center Corner, then a hip-hop class taught inside by NW dance associate professor Lacreacia Sanders 12:45-1:30 p.m. and a ballroom class taught by NE dance professor Linda Quinn and NE instructor David Medina 1:30-2:30 p.m.

All proceeds from the fundraiser will be delivered to New York representatives of Dancers Responding to AIDS by 19 TCC dance team members during their trip Feb. 21-24.

“Our main goal is to teach students about outreach,” Quinn said, “and also how important it is for us as artists to give back to communities.”

The group includes eight members of the NE Campus Movers Unlimited Dance Touring Company, five members of the NW Campus Mosaic Dance Project and three faculty members from both campuses.

Medina hopes the experience of studying dance in New York will help make them more successful.

“We want them to learn how much work it takes to get to a professional level and to audition and compete,” he said.

Sanders said she is excited for the students and the group’s first-time trip to New York.

“The big thing is that students get immersed into a different dance scene,” she said. “New York has a unique style of dance, and I want them to gain different ideas and perspectives.”

Dance classes will require a $5 donation. The entire event is open to the public.

— Frankie Farrar-Helm