On Friday, December 1, Colgate’s dance community will convene to perform in Dancefest, a biannual production of the campus’ various dance and cultural groups. Dancefest is held once a semester and is always one of the cultural highlights of the year.

Get ready for a diverse, eclectic mix of many dance forms. The event showcases types of dance ranging from hip-hop to ballet to pantomime. Among the groups performing are Groove and Kuumba, both hip-hop troupes; Belly Dancing Club; Ballet Club; Total Praise, a religious dance group; Capoiera, a dance troupe based in the martial arts; and Shock, a jazz group new to Colgate this semester. Also performing are groups such as the South Asian Cultural Club, the Caribbean Students Association and the Latin American Student Association, who will perform culturally-based dances.

The performance features dancers of all nationalities, genders and backgrounds. Most interestingly, each group has a variety of talent levels. Students who have danced since childhood perform on stage next to beginners who had never attempted a pirouette until this semester. Despite the challenges faced in training newer members to keep up with the seasoned pros, all of the dance groups display talent and expertise.

Dancefest offers an opportunity to show off a semester’s worth of grueling practice. Most groups meet several times a week, practicing for two to three hours each session. In the weeks before Dancefest however, some groups practice six times a week. Members take on the intense committment with determination and pride.

The event is entirely student organized, and each group is governed and choreographed by its members. Senior Grace Buckley coordinates this year’s production.

“Each group has put countless hours into rehearsing since the beginning of the semester and rehearsals have been particularly intensive this week leading up to the performance,” Buckley said. “Because of the hard work and dedication of all the group leaders and dancers, I expect this show to be better than it ever has been.”

Held at 7 p.m. in the Chapel on Friday night, the event is free of charge. Come early to get a seat for Colgate’s hottest dance event of the semester.