Anne Arundel Community College Dance Company Celebrates 25 Years

Twenty-five years ago, Anne Arundel Community College had a total of two dance classes available to its students. Today, the college boasts a successful dance company that is a member of both the Maryland Council for Dance and the American College Dance Festival Association. It has also served as a family to hundreds of alumni, some of whom now own their own dance studios, have danced with famous performers or have danced on reality TV shows.

Founder and director Lynda Fitzgerald first came to AACC in 1987 with a part-time position in admissions. Because of her own performance background and her experience with teaching dance elsewhere, Fitzgerald became involved with dance at AACC. After teaching a few classes, Fitzgerald found that many students were unsatisfied with the dance curriculum and wanted more opportunities to showcase their talents.

“It was a student-driven initiative,” Fitzgerald said of the dance company. Students who were interested in dance, in collaboration with Fitzgerald, approached the college with the idea. The dance company was founded in 1988 and put on its first performance in the spring of 1989.

Beginning with that initial performance, which included just 10 students, the dance company has provided an opportunity for hundreds of students to refine their talents.

“We’re like a big family,” observed Fitzgerald, who described dancing as a great way to express yourself and have fun.

Students who are a part of the dance company appreciate the skills they have learned and refined. Richie Leone, a current member of the company, said the most rewarding experience for him has been “to see where I was then to where I am now, to feel my technique improving and to have positive feedback.”

Company member Hannah LaFrance also appreciates the opportunity to improve her choreography. “Lynda has helped me with a range of choreography,” she said. She added that Fitzgerald encourages students to choreograph for themselves, not for an audience.

The mission of the dance company, according to Fitzgerald, is to give students performing experience while working with a diverse group and having fun in the process.

Today, the dance company fulfills its mission by performing both in-house and outside the college. Within the college, the company performs at various events, including those honoring Women’s History Month and Black History Month, the college’s Honors and Awards Ceremony and its Foundation Fundraiser. Outside the college, the company participates in service-learning opportunities in public schools. As one of the few community colleges to be part of the American College Dance Festival Association, the dance company also travels in the spring to perform for the festival.

As a tribute to its 25th anniversary, the company recently put on a two-hour alumni concert along with its annual spring performance. Twenty alumni participated in the 15-piece show, including Jamile McGee, who was a contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance,” and Lance Guillermo, who has danced with Lady Gaga and Gloria Estefan.

For more information about the AACC Dance Company, visit www.aacc.edu/dance/aaccdancecompany.cfm.