Students Celebrate Women in the Arts
Image Courtesy of Luis Zonenberg
By Luis Zonenberg
Just about every other month celebrates heritages and cultures around the world, and this month is no different. Throughout all of March, we celebrate Women’s History Month to honor all the phenomenal women who contributed to the history and culture of American society. Every year, the students in CUA Dance Company celebrate this occasion with an event called “Women in the Arts,” which allows students to come and celebrate the contributions of women in various art forms.
The event was held on Wednesday, March 18, in the Caldwell auditorium, with food for purchase being offered to students upon their arrival. Karo’s Cakes: a cake-in-a-jar company served delicious treats, with twenty-five percent of all proceeds going to Saint Josephine Bakhita Catholic Charities Women’s Shelter. The event was also sponsored by Arlington Eats, a food blog for restaurants in Arlington, VA, and True North Success Studio, a company that offers tutoring services for students K-12, with representatives at various tables in the auditorium.
The event kick-started with the CUA Gaels and Irish Dancing Team performing “Fairytale” and “Rocky Road to Dublin.” Two dancers from the CUA Gaels Dance Team took the stage by storm, performing incredible jig after jig as the music played out in the Caldwell auditorium. The real highlight was certainly the two performers dancing to “Rocky Road to Dublin,” which had many students clapping and singing along to the song as the two danced away on stage.
Following the Gaels was the Italian Club, reading various works of poetry on stage. They highlighted the creativity and artistic prose of many women, highlighting their great works for everyone in attendance. The Filipino Organization of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) would also do something similar, highlighting the achievements of Whang-od, a 109-year-old Filipino tattoo artist. Both groups provided some wonderful insights into the achievements of different women’s creative endeavours, making it as inspirational as it was emotional to watch.
The Washingtones A Cappella group also took to the stage to sing some wonderful songs for the event. The a cappella performed wonderful renditions of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele and “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse. Following them was the CUA Dance Team performing a wonderful, choreographed dance number to “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga. The latter showed the physical prowess of these amazing students, but the songs themselves served as a wonderful testament to the singers who made these songs so famous to begin with.
Last but certainly not least, CUA Dance Company went on stage for two distinct performances. The first was a solo dance performed by the club’s artistic director, Emma DeBiase, which she choreographed with CUA Dance member, Chloe Benson. The second featured several members of the organization performing a Hip-Hop performance that was also choreographed by DeBiase. The latter was a strong way to close out the event, which clocked at just under an hour by the time it wrapped up.
Freshman Architecture Major and dance club member, Sophie Harris, was inspired by the event. “It was so much fun watching all of the clubs come together to support women both in and outside of the room—past, present, and future,” Harris remarked. “Now that I’ve seen what a successful event looks like, I can’t wait to be involved in the planning next year!”
The night clearly proved to be a success, and it will be interesting to see how CUA Dance Company will organize it for next year’s showcase. For more events like this, be sure to check The Nest and see all the wonderful clubs the campus has to offer.
