Elijah Tang-Spigelman, sophomore music education major, has a heavy workload and very little free time at William Jewell College. When he needs a break from schoolwork, however, he turns to his favorite hobby – “Dance Dance Revolution.” The arcade game is one many have dabbled in, but few have mastered. The game requires players to time their steps on a mat in coordination with arrows presented on a screen. The step-movements are commonly synced to music either from Japanese pop culture or, less typically, American pop music. 

Elijah’s favorite song selection is “District 1” from the Pump It arcade dance programs. He noted that “1949” is the most challenging song to complete and only one champion has ever finished the round perfectly. Players move quickly and efficiently to succeed at a level – some even get on their hands and knees. It is no wonder that “Dance Dance Revolution” can be categorized as exercise — there is a lot of physical and mental training that goes into becoming an accomplished player.

Ideally, Elijah spends six to eight hours a week playing “Dance Dance Revolution.” All of those hours in an arcade can add up to quite the expense report. He estimates that each hour of Dance Dance entertainment costs $10. To some, $80 a week may seem like a lot, but when you consider that a complete setup of one of these arcade games costs upwards of $5,000 it makes sense.

There are things Elijah does to alleviate the burden of his expensive hobby. For example, he has a portable mat to dance on that he rolls out whenever he needs a dance break. These portable mats cost around $30 – but they are only for single-player mode. When Elijah wants to dance with his friends, they head to the arcade.

Elijah enjoys playing with his friends and has a few people he can practice his skills with. However, when he needs the support of fellow Dance Dance Revolution enthusiasts, he turns to a Facebook group of over 200 people. In this community, players can share accomplishments, frustrations and support each other. 

Starting any new hobby is not easy. Even so, Elijah believes that anyone – regardless of musical ability or coordination – can succeed in “Dance Dance Revolution.” He suggests that new players start slow and never push themselves too hard. He advises sticking to enjoyable hobbies, such as he does with “Dance Dance Revolution,” in order to fully appreciate all of the challenges and entertainment life holds.

Growing up my parents emphasized the importance of discovering a hobby. Both my brother and I were encouraged to explore whatever piqued our interests – from karate lessons to barrel racing – with no gender specificity, might I add. I attempted several activities, including the aforementioned karate, as well as barrel racing lessons, piano and violin lessons, baking, drawing, photography, crochet and a brief stint in potholder making. I quickly learned that I lacked the patience necessary to commit to these hobbies.

But one hobby has remained as an exception to my slight character flaw: dance. I began consistently dancing at the age of six, stubbornly insisting to be a ballerina and refusing tap and jazz. Over the years, I opened up to a range of styles and appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of each. Discovering an activity to partake in outside the constant rush of life has been essential for my mental health and overall happiness.

If I’m going to be honest, I am not the most talented dancer in the world. I lack the flexibility, natural grace, and athletic physique worthy of any applause. As someone who has always strived to be the best at what I do, realizing that fact was brutally difficult. But a hobby is not something you are required to be amazing at. A hobby is something you do because you enjoy it, regardless if you are good at it. Dance is my escape from feeling like I have to do everything perfectly all the time.

I encourage you to give dance a try, even if you know you aren’t any good. As I said, I am not either. If you are new to the world of dance, I would begin by finding a tutorial on YouTube or TikTok. I would be lying if I denied that I learned the WAP dance one night instead of studying. When choosing a dance, look for songs or styles you enjoy. Kyle Hanagami’s Break My Heart tutorial is a good example of what to look for. I also highly encourage inviting friends to join.

Outside of choreographed dancing, improvisation is my favorite way to relax and release stress. Improv is a great way to connect with your range of motion and explore a new creative outlet. When I improv, I typically warm up to a few of my favorite songs and then choose either one or a playlist of songs to dance to. It can be hard sometimes, not knowing what step to do next, but I imagine improv as acting out a story as a trick to keep moving. 

Dance doesn’t have to be anything complicated. It can be as simple as turning up the music and letting loose. Don’t hold yourself back. There’s no right or wrong way to move, just have fun. There’s also no right time or place. Dance down grocery aisles, under the stars or in the rain. Have your own high school musical cafeteria moment, I dare you. Or maybe dancing is not your thing, but give it a try before you decide – it’s a good excuse to act ridiculous intentionally.

The Kansas City Ballet’s annual holiday production of “The Nutcracker” continues this year, but in recent years, productions across the country have received backlash for their portrayal of Asians in the Chinese Tea Dance.

The show used to feature dancers in pointy hats, dancing in a caricature-like manner, while wearing yellow-toned makeup and sporting Fu Manchu mustaches.

However, KCUR reported that the Kansas City Ballet signed on to the campaign Final Bow for Yellowface. This campaign’s mission is as follows: 

“In the same way that Blackface is limiting and degrading to African Americans, continuing to present a 19th-century view of Asians does not allow for character nuance for Asian American dancers today,” the campaign says.

The campaign’s website also says that by portraying Asians as caricatures on stage, it could send the wrong message to Asians who wish to dance themselves or to non-Asians who take this caricature image of Asians as reality. More information on the pledge can be found here.

In addition, KCUR noted that Devon Carney, KC Ballet’s artistic director, said that the KC Ballet will follow in New York City’s Ballet footsteps, which removed racist costumes, makeup, and choreography from the Chinese Tea Dance in 2017.

In 2015 Carney changed the choreography to no longer include dancers pointing both index fingers in the air, as this is an offensive dance move, according to the Kansas City Star.

Now, more changes are being made. The pointy hats will be replaced with hair combs decorated with flowers and ribbon and the Fu Manchu mustache will no longer be used. The parasols and lion dog will be kept, as Carney believes these positively reflect Chinese culture.

The same source said that Carney also stated that more changes could be made after feedback from this season’s show.

“The guy in charge needs to continually be cognizant of this,” Carney said of himself. “I feel the weight of this in a very substantial way.”

The Kansas City Star also wrote that their production of “The Nutcracker” has increased its diversity in recent years, as about one-fourth of the dancers are people of color. In 2017 Whitney Huell became the first black Snow Queen for Kansas City’s “The Nutcracker.” In 2018 she played the role of the Sugarplum Fairy and will play the role again this year.

Kansas City’s “The Nutcracker” will run from Dec. 5-24 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets can be bought here.

Malorie Colby, sophomore accounting and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry (ACT-In) major, is choosing to spend her summer pursuing her passion of dance. For the second year in a row, the 15 year dance veteran accepted a job with the National Dance Alliance (NDA).

NDA is a large organization that specializes in training the next generation of dancers. The company travels across the country hosting camps for high school and collegiate dance teams. They also host nationals every year for both collegiate and high school teams in Florida.

Colby frequented NDA camps during her four years of dance in high school. When she was a senior in high school and at an NDA camp, the staff invited Colby to apply for an instructor position once she was 18. She went to an audition in Kansas, and the rest is history.

In her own dance career, Colby is no stranger to NDA Nationals either. In her first year of college, which was at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC), her team placed third in the country. Now a member of the William Jewell College dance team, Colby hopes she and fellow cardinals will compete at nationals next year.

Through her position as an instructor with NDA last year, the company paid for Colby to travel the nation teaching dance at high school summer camps. Her position this year will be the same.

According to NDA its instructors are “not only good dancers, they’re great role models… Our instructors are some of the most talented and personable dancers, teachers, and choreographers in the nation.”

The summer camps can range from 5 to 6 teams hosted on a university campus to working with one team at their own school. Regardless of the number of campers, Colby says they all receive the same great experience.

“We teach them routines, techniques, judge their dances and present awards at the end of the week. Students learn five dances, which is a lot” said Colby. She also judges at the NDA nationals in Florida.

“It makes me feel good to see the teams improve… It’s really cool to see their growth,” Colby said, describing her job as that of a mentor.

Even since last summer, Colby has already seen great strides in her students’ abilities. She had the opportunity to see some of her former students when they competed at the NDA Nationals in February. Colby also learned that some of her students will now become her coworkers for this summer.

Colby encourages others with a similar passion for dance to consider working for NDA. Anyone who meets the minimum requirements and has the necessary dance skill can apply. The application can be found on their website.

NDA also encourages academic excellence. In order to be an instructor, you have to maintain a certain GPA. They also provide opportunities to improve leadership skills and offer tips in professionalism.

Colby has no doubt that her time at NDA will benefit her in the future. She hopes to work as a CPA one day, but she is not ready to give up dance anytime soon.

“I teach dance at my studio now, and I hope to continue as long as I can. Since the classes are at night, it makes it easier to keep teaching dance and have a regular job” said Colby. She can also stay on NDA staff as long as she wants, and has the opportunity to work her way all the way to corporate.

Colby also noted that this job has taught her about so much more than dance.

“I learned responsibility – learned how to get things done and be a professional. These skills will help me in my future career goals,” Colby said.