Nothing ever beats the euphoria felt from listening to a good beat or a sweet melody, and just letting the body move with the musical flow. Everyone has the ability to dance in some form or another. Whether that is ballroom dancing or grinding on the dance floor, Bellevue College offers a wide range of outlets to honor student dancing skills.
As part of the Arts & Humanities department, BC offers dance classes in ballet, contemporary dance and jazz techniques. Their curriculum branches of the Theatre Arts Department and credited either as Dance or PE credit. Students in Dance Ensemble classes are granted the opportunity to perform as a part of the Eastside Moving Company. Like any college class, dance is still a rigorous course to pursue. “College is that time for exploration and conquering challenges. Dance gives not only a physical understanding of our body but an understanding of everyone else around us: how we share space, how we avoid each other, how we work together. It helps the human development on so many levels and these things are all translatable into any other art form.”
Its academia is obviously different from the environment of more analytical and involves less textbook studying, but the dedication and hard work necessary to be put forth is just the same. They have a small faculty; their teachings and talents are definitely revered. Betty-Ann Platt and Eva Stone are two of the dance instructors here on the main BC campus. In their courses, they teach for a wide range of students from beginner to more advanced dancers. They introduce principles, techniques and vocabulary of dances, aiding students’ development in all areas of dance techniques as they gain flexibility, strength, coordination and confidence. Starting her career this winter quarter at BC as a new instructor, Stone was “thrilled that her class was full, and the waitlist was full. What that tells me is that the interest is there.” Dance here at BC has given not only students the path to possibly lead them to a career in theatre arts, but also the opportunity to try an art that allows healthy exercise as well as an outlet for creativity. “In a greater scheme of the world, we have to continue to educate people and keep art and dance alive and relevant in our society. There’s a large group of us trying to keep the arts alive and relevant to everything that everyone else is doing. I would be there to fight tooth and nail to keep the art alive.”
Stone can be contacted by her office number (425) 564-2618, or by her email eva.stone@bellevuecollege.edu. Her office is in room E-121, open for those who would like to observe dancers in the R-014 studio. Though it is a class, Stone has opened her doors to anyone interested in dance and would like to take a sneak peek at how she teaches. This winter quarter, her classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30-11:20 am. She’d also like to emphasize that it is a class and early notice is preferred.
Regarding the Arts & Humanities degree, in association with dance courses, please contact Deanne Eschbach at (425) 564-2341, or email her at Deanne.eschbach@bellevuecollege.edu.She‘s also in R-230 office on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. And for more information on courses and faculty, please visit the Bellevue College Arts & Humanities web page at http://bellevuecollege.edu/ArtsHum/.