Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Quote of the Day ‘Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.’ -Albert Einstein Friday, March 24,2000 09HltCOCk Page 6 USC Dance Company member tries to balance passion for dancing with classes, work and fun BY W ILLIESHA C. LAK1N Staff Writer < She might be living proof of someone bom wearing dancing shoes. “My Mom says my first word was ‘dance,’ but, I mean, I don’t ( believe that,” Honors College freshman Evelyn Ackermann said with j a laugh. Ackermann is a USC Dance Company participant. Although dance keeps her busy about four to six days a week, she enjoys the pro- ; gram. i ne uance siuuios, me uance leacners are great, /\CK.ermann said, fresh from ballet practice in a blue sweatshirt and black tights. “They have a very substantia] program. Definitely.” Ackermann men tioned three shows they’ve done so far: one in early December, one before spring break and another last weekend. She al so saia sne is enjoying worKing wun a new.use. graa uate student and a Canadian dancer. She has been able to apply her dancing to different areas of her life, she said. A; a Girl Scout, Ackermann worked with the deaf football team at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, using “dance-motivated stretches.” “I worked with than for a week and taught them partner stretch- i es, and to help them with M their flexibility and their bal- S ance and things like that,” she S said. “It was kind of fun to S.. represent the dance world S and go train football play- S ers. tsS&B Ackermann started B* <C. dancing at age three in B|£i| her hometown of Spar- fl tanbutg, S.C. She worked with teachers and stu- py§|| dents at the Spartanburg K. -' Civic Ballet. By ninth grade, she pt- V' was studying at different B schools nationwide, in eluding schools in Con- B' necticut. Cfillr; Under Spartanburg’s B pre-professional program, Ackermann reached her Si .. dancing peak. S “When I reached the S, tenth grade,” Ackermann said, S, “I realized I just couldn’t grow S any more as a dancer.” ■ She began auditioning at dif- * ferent residential schools and land ed a spot at the Virginia School ot ’ the Arts in Lynchburg for her junior and senior years of high school. Ackermann called it “the most won derful experience” and “very intensive.” “(Virginia School of the Arts) kind of pre pared me for college in a way,” Ackermann said. She noted the long hours of practice. After taking r- % r i • l 1_ - _ J _ 1_1.1_1. . live 11UU15 ui avuucuuc viwuiiv aiiu a uuiui - practiced from 1:45 p.m. until as late as 8:30 p.m. “I definitely grew as a dancer and improved, not just in ballet, but in jazz and modem, and partnering and point, everything,” Acker mann said. 'And we had great shows. Really lassy, black tie performances. It was un.” Between her semesters at the arts chool, Ackermann trained at the USC )ance Conservatory, and she thought t was a “great program.” She said her ears at the arts school and the con ervatory really helped her as she be an leaning towards the USC dance program. “I really felt coming in with the training I had from the Vnginia School of the Arts, I thought it wasn’t really as competitive as I thought it would be,” Ackermann said. With the pleasure of dancing came some sac rifices for her in life. “It (dancing) probably made me grow up faster than I would have if I had just a normal high school life,” Ackermann said. “Although, I would say a down fall to being so involved with dance is that I wasn’t as involved with my friends socially as I would have liked to have been.” Iier parents nave naa to matte rifices as well. ;’ve gotten so much support; don’t deserve it all,” Ack irmann said. “My parents have given up so much so many times.” She remem bered them coming down for Parents Weekend, on ly to find out she would have to do play rehearsals most of the weekend. De spite that, her parents stayed. Although dancing has been a part of Ackermann’s life since she can remem ber, she is not considering it a top career choice, due in part to her mother’s ap )eal to “be strong and make loney and be independent.” ‘I’ve always wanted to have areer and be able to support family and my children, and eel like I have to depend on my husband for something,”Ack ermann said. “And really, in this day and age, you cannot make mon ey doing dance. It’s a hobby I’ll al ways have. I ’ 11 always be able to dance while I’m studying.” Childhood family trips out west and a current class has carved a different career possibility: anthropology with an emphasis on archaeology. “I think that (road trips) instilled in me this eager ness to just dig up history, which is Kina or saa, Decause u sounds like I’m living in the past,” Ackermann said, “but I’m kind of interested in that right now.” Ackermann said her “original intention” for coming to USC was the international business program, and graduate school is in her fu Evelyn Ackermann, above and below, is a member of the USC Dance Company. JobFest, other resources make job hunt easier by Kamille Bostick Staff Writer McDonald’s not going to cut it this summer? Are you ready to start building that killer resume with stellar references but don’t know where to start? The USC Career Center addressed these and other occupational troubles by sponsoring the JobFest from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Carolina Coliseum. Nearly 120 employers convened at JobFest to offer oppor tunities for networking as well as full-time, part-time, summer and co-op positions. JobFest is one of the many strategies the Career Center has to prepare job seekers for the working world. The Career Center is on the sixth floor of the Darla Moore School of Business. Students can visit with career counselors during the on-call hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon day through Friday, or schedule an appointment. The center provides a number of services, including an on line job listing, which gives a comprehensive list of jobs na tionwide and has the capacity to limit searches to specific cate gories. The center also has a library of books and vocational directories, as well as indexes of national and international jobs. In addition, the Career Center has the Career View program, which offers job shadowing, a way for students to observe a pro fessional in their field of choice for a few days. According to Mi mi Hollingsworth, program manager, many students often find out what they don’t want to do when they shadow a professional. The Career Center also provides information on internships. According to the center, internships can play an important role in preparing potential employees, despite the possibility that students would have to work for free. The center said the benefits of an internship include help ing students gain work-related experiences, helping with career planning, giving students the chance to apply knowledge from the classroom to the real world, possibly leading to actual jobs later on, and helping to make the interview process easier and aid with networking. To check the center’s job listings on the Web, go to http://wjl.resumeexpert.com/0415/student.htm and type in “Gamecock” for the password. Dance Company participants have talent, dedication Review by Kamille Bostick Gamecock Critic The USC Dance Company is a talented group of individuals, from the faculty, which includes the accomplished Alicia Morant, who just joined the company last Ml and was a soloist for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater of Harlem, to the students, great skill and ability abound in the group. The dancers in this flourishing com pany are youthful, vibrant, gifted people with a great sense of their artistic genre. With nearly 40 members, the USC Dance Company is well balanced and well-trained in the studio, on the stage and in the classroom. Rhodes Scholar Caroline Parler is one of the many ded icated members of the ensemble. Many choreograph their own pieces, as was the case at this past week’s Student Showcase at Drayton Hall. The pieces were well thought out and executed. Choreography is an intricate process of vision. There has to be an idea of what is expected, and in order to get it from the mental to the physical realm, listening, learning, practicing and perfection are required. Members of the dance company understand that they are dancers first, and for many, dancing is a way to relax. Being a {art of tire ensemble takes a lot of dedication and hard work, but so (toes anything that demands the input of a group. The results of many endeavors never quite match the beauty, harmo ny and unity between body and beat as in dance - a truly illumi nating end, one the Dance Company has come to enjoy and em body. ture to “see where it takes” her. Despite her diverse career options, dancing taught Ackermann a lot about the workplace and life in general. She said she’s gained a definite work ethic” and “an awareness of being physically in shape.” “(I’ve learned about) responsibility, working with people, kind of an idea of what the world is like and the etiquette of it, the things you should and shouldn’t do,” she said. There are even certain ways to handle being unable to perform in a play. “You wouldn’t just drop out (of the performance),” Ackermann said, “you would consult the director, just like you would in a job or something.” To add to her busy life as a dancer, she is also a page for state Senator John Russell (R) a next-door neighbor in Spartanburg. He of fered her a position if she attended USC. “I think the experience of working on the floor in itself is kind of neat,” she said. Ackermann is also a member of Chi Omega soror ity and Alpha Lambda Delta Freshmen Honor Society. Her dorm room is filled with posters and photographs, and per haps they are signs she still makes time for fun and friendship. On her wall is a collage of photographs, and a photo album is on her desk. She spends her free time doing “self-care nights,” hanging out at dance clubs with her girlfriends and attending Shandon Baptist Church. “I love being busy,” Ackermann said. “That’s the thing that keeps me going. I definitely have an energy for fife.” As a USC student, Ackermann said she’s “more laid back and just kind of spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous.” “Definitely the feeling - I’ve never had this feeling before - but the feeling that the world’s in the palm of my hands.” Emily LeMaster named as Outstanding Woman by Mackenzie Craven Assistant etcetera Editor Emily LeMaster has been named USC Outstanding Woman of the Year for 2000. At a ceremony Thursday, she was chosen from among six nominees to receive the award. She has been involved with the online voting for Student Govern ment elections. She is a member of Kappa Delta and has served as presi dent and on Sorority Council. She is also a member of several honor or ganizations, including Gamma Beta Phi. After being named for the award, LeMaster was speechless. “It’s a great award, and I am so honored, and I feel like USC has giv en me so much. I probably don’t even deserve it, but I am really thankful for it,” LeMaster said. She said she thinks her experience with the Elections Commission has affected USC the most. “The best thing that I feel that I have done is online voting, having a hand in that. I feel like it’s really some thing that’s going to be here,” LeMas ter said. LeMaster has a variety of influ ences, from her mother to staff at USC, including Gene Luna, Cindy Benton, Woody Carothers and Gena Staggs. When LeMaster first visited USC, she thought it was a perfect fit. LeMaster suggests that students get involved when they first arrive at USC. LeMaster has had the opportuni ty to work with many of the other nominees. She said, “Each one is so outstanding, and that makes it [the award] all the more unbelievable.” LeMaster couldn’t quite define the meaning of the award. “I think it’s an honor. I don’t think it’s really hit me yet. I am so excit ed.” The award is given in March in honor of National Women’s History Month. It honors a USC student who has achieved success in her academics and extracurricular activities. The Of fice of Women’s Student Services and the Women’s Students’ Association sponsor the award. LeMaster plans on taking the next semester to decide what she wants to do with her life. Campus Notes Health and Wellness plans CPR course Health and Wellness Programs will offer an American Red Cross adult CPR course at 5p.m. Tuesday in the Blatt P.E. Cen ter. The class costs $20. To register, call 777-6518. Only 10 spaces are available in each class. Baha’i Club will have gender equality forum USC Baha'i Club will present “Two Wings of A Bird: A Gender Equality Forum,” at 6:30 p.m. today in the Rus sell House Theater. The public is in vited. There will be no charge. For more information, call 791-9134. Professional Rescuer CPR to be offered Health and Wellness Programs will of fer an American Red Cross CPR class for the Professional Rescuer from 5 to 8 p.m. April 7 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 8 in the Blatt P.E. Center. The class costs $35. To register, call 777-6518. The reg istration deadline is April 5. Second CHy National Tour Company coming The Second City National Touring Com pany, a comedy company, will have a show at 8 p.m. April 12 in the Russell House Ballroom. Tickets are $5 for stu dents and $7 for non-students and are for sale in the Carolina Productions office and at the RH Information Desk For more information, call Carolina Productions at 777-7130. Theta Gamma plans program, meeting The Theta Gamma chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is sponsoring a Breast Cancer Awareness Program at 7 p.m. Monday in the Golden Spur. Tuesday will be the first meeing of the Literary Pearls Book Club. This club is dedicated to reading literary works by African Americans authors. For information, call Erica at 544-3811. Panel will talk about women, Shakespeare “A Panel on Women in Shakespeare” will be at 3:30 p.m. today in Gambrell Hall, Room 358. The panel chair, Dr. Carol Jones Carlisle, from the English Department, will oversee the discus sion. Panelists include Nina Levine of the English Department and Irene Dash of Hunter College, CUNY. Monologue fo come to Drayton Hall There will be a monologue entitled “Love Arm’d Aphra Behn & Her Pen” at 8 p.m. Monday in Drayton Hall. It will be in honor of Women's History Month and will feature Karen Eterovich, who received her master's degree in acting from USC. She wrote and appears in her own one woman show, which premiered in New York. For more information, call Rosa Thom at 7774007. Applications available for Carolina Camp Students interested in sharing their ex periences and knowledge about USC with incoming freshmen during Car olina Camp, an optional summer ori entation experience, can pick up a counselor application in the Career Center, 6th floor in the BA building. Deadline for applications is 5 p.m. March 31 in the Career Center. Cultural Exchange plans next India Night The Indian Cultural Exchange will pre sent its second annual India Night, js- | sage to India,” at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Richland Northeast High School auditorium. For information, call Mick ey Puddan at 794-7132, ore-mail iceusc@hotmail.com. Islam Awareness Week continues with movie As part of Islam Awareness Week, “The Message,” the story of Islam, with An thony Quinn, will be shown at 8 p.m. today in the Golden Spur. Briefs for Campus Notes can be submit ted to RH333. Please include a contact name and phone number. We can’t promise to print everything, but we can promise to try. ■ CORRECTIONS The Gamecock strives to report the facts correctly and responsibly. If you come across any inaccuracies in our reportage, please let us know.