MTSU Sidelines

Issue date: 6/6/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Soulichith Philip Lunammachack Murfreesboro Performing Arts Company members Butterfly Cottingham, Tabitha Jones, Jennifer Jones and Melody Ryan show off their skills at the Spring dance concert, held in MTSU's Tucker Theatre. MPAC provides students, alumni and community members an opportunity to share their love of dance.

As college students, we all have that one non-school related thing on our to-do lists that we want to check off before graduating. For some, it's joining a sorority or fraternity. For others, it might be becoming involved in a church youth group or club sport. Whatever it is, you have every intention of accomplishing it each semester, but actually getting around to it is another story.

For me, it was dancing. As a child, I danced for ten years, then quit after a family move. I took a few lessons in high school, but never got too involved again. However, I promised myself that upon attending Middle Tennessee State University, I would pick up dance once more.

My freshman and sophomore years at MTSU flew by without finding a particular groove to be apart of. During the second semester of my junior year, however, I decided it was finally time to take my dancing shoes off the shelf for the MTSU Performing Arts Company.

I had heard great things about MPAC, or "Dance Club" as is it commonly referred, from different students during my years at the university. As I stumbled into the dance studio in the Murphy Center that Tuesday night in January for the first meeting of the semester, I felt a little uneasy.

After being out of dance for so long, I began wondering if I was getting in over my head.

I quickly learned, though, that I had no reason to be afraid. MPAC member and 2002 MTSU graduate Leah Bass reassured me that, "One of the best things about MPAC is that it doesn't matter how much experience you have. Everyone's welcome."

The first few meetings of the month were filled with information about the club and a few warm-up dance routines. Any MTSU student, alumni or local community member with a passion for dance was welcomed to be apart of the organization. Members of MPAC practice dance routines throughout the semester and showcase their work in a recital put on at the end of each semester.

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