Lauren Rice

“Senior Spotlight - Lauren Rice” by Madi Stolarik

Each year, the Holly Springs High dance program hosts a senior- organized spring performance known as Symposium. Members of the dance program apply for a symposium leadership position spring of their junior year. The senior independent study is a year-long commitment, studying the fundamentals of creating your own piece for the spring semester. The fall semester involves specific studies for the leaders to work with the advanced-level dancers on creating small pieces. In the spring, they hold auditions and select dancers for their performances that will be presented in late May. This year, there were three symposium leaders. I interviewed Lauren Rice, a senior, on her experience and process of being a symposium leader this year.

I asked Lauren to recall her application process before her senior year had started, and she responded that “since quarantine happened, the application process was pretty simple! The requirement was that you had to be in [dance] both semesters of your senior year,” I asked her what the major theme(s) of her piece were, and she said it highlighted “sleep paralysis.” When she began the audition process and was selecting dancers, she discussed that she “looked for dancers who could dance in both stiff and airy qualities to portray the true meaning of her piece.”

I asked Lauren if there were any challenges she encountered throughout her experience. She explained that “it is a lot of work that takes extensive time and focus” and that she “needed to be ready for any obstacle that was thrown her way.” As she is getting closer to performance-ready, I asked her to reflect on her experience, and she said her favorite part of being a symposium leader was “being able to teach and work with such a talented group of dancers and gain leadership experience.” She concluded that she “is so excited to be able to portray her piece to an audience!”

Lauren’s symposium experience is a highlight of her senior year and a wonderful opportunity for her to showcase her creativity, time, work, and love for dance for an audience. I am grateful I got to learn about Lauren’s experience and her passion for dance choreography. The Symposium show is on May 20, 2022, in the auditorium from 7-8:30 pm. Alongside Lauren, you can expect to see the two other symposium leaders' pieces -- Riley Harris and Kaitlyn Schmidt, as well as performance project work from the dancers currently in spring semester classes.