On Saturday, Sept. 12, the UNI Illuminate Dance Troupe (IDT) held a showcase on the basketball courts in the WRC, which was also streamed via Facebook Live.

The dances performed were from the spring 2020 semester, and had been scheduled to be performed in the group’s spring show which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The dancers have been working on this performance for twice as long as normal.

The performance helped the members of IDT feel a little normal during the uncertain times of 2020. While finally being able to perform for an audience was very exciting, there were safety measures and changes for the dancers put into place. The dancers and audience were required to follow proper COVID-19 guidelines, such as wearing masks and social distancing.

“We really are just so grateful for the chance to stage these pieces which we have worked so hard on, and that takes the pressure off of having a perfect or overly professional performance,” said junior communications and theatre design and productions major Hayden Comstock, vice president of IDT.

The student choreographers definitely had their work cut out for them. In order to ensure safety of the dancers, distancing measures needed to be put into place. This meant not touching while dancing and having more space than they are used to between dancers, which changes certain styles of dance quite a bit and was a challenge for the group. However, all of the dancers were excited to be back on stage.

“We are very excited for our show, and I am personally ready to perform for people again and keep sharing our love of dance,” Comstock said.

Illuminate Dance Troupe is a non-auditioned and no-experience-required dance organization on campus. They include many international dance styles such as folk, Latin, ballroom, hip-hop and many more. Rehearsals are in WRC 185 on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30 p.m., and they have other rehearsals to learn performance pieces.