Dancing Through the "Hills and Valleys"

Cedarville University’s AYO Dance Company will perform its spring dance showcase called “Hills and Valleys” at the Cedarville Opera House on April 12-13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door or in the Stevens Student Center through April 2 between 11-2 p.m. The event is open to the public.

The showcase will include a large range of dance styles, such as swing, hip-hop, tap and contemporary. AYO will perform 22 group dances and several small-group, duet and solo dances.

— Kaela Indyk

The dances will center around the theme of “Hills and Valleys.” The choreography will take audience members through a journey of the “highs and lows of life,” said Kaela Indyk, senior psychology major from Flemington, New Jersey, and president of AYO Dance Company.

AYO is a student organization of 90 students, who express themselves in artistic movement and choreography while glorifying God. The student-led organization has 23 choreographers who teach group dances in preparation for showcase events.

The dance company invites dancers with all levels of proficiency to join. “It’s a great community of people,” said Indyk. “We dance and enjoy that creative and artistic element, and we serve the Lord and glorify him through our dance.”

Ashleigh Veltman, a senior nursing major from Kentwood, Michigan, joined AYO her first semester at Cedarville. “I started my first semester by doing one dance and, just like that, I was hooked,” she said. “It’s a great stress relief and it’s so nice meeting new people who all intend to glorify the Lord through dance.”

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.