U of T is brimming with different arts-based clubs — there is a different group, or five, for every possible artistic persuasion. The Varsity interviewed student leaders within the Drama Coalition, Hart House Chorus, Only Human Dance Collective, and Silhouettes Dance Company to hear why they decided to get involved, and why they think campus arts are important.
How they got started
Elizabeth Laushway is the executive secretary of the Hart House Chorus. “I got involved in the chorus back in first year,” she explains. “I had sung in high school and wanted to continue in university, so during Frosh Week I walked around the Clubs Day fair until I found the chorus’s booth.” She’s been a part of the group ever since, and is now a fourth-year student.
Caroline Davis and Alexa Chioran, co-artistic directors of the Silhouettes Dance Company, both also credit clubs fairs as meeting points for getting involved in the company. “I did some research beforehand,” admits Davis, “I had been a part of my dance team in high school, and wanted to continue that.” Both auditioned and began as dancers in the company, before becoming part of the executive in their second years.
Kevin Wong, president of the Drama Coalition, says that he saw an advertisement for King Lear on Facebook before even entering his first year, rehearsing for his first U of T show during Frosh Week. Kevin acted in, and directed, numerous shows in his first three years at U of T, before becoming Coalition president this year.
Emily Palios, Nura Mazloom, and Nina Bakan make up the co-creative director, production manager, and co-technique director of the Only Human Dance Collective (OHDC), respectively. All three joined the OHDC in their first years as dancers and choreographers, before going on to hold executive positions. “I was a dancer in my first year, and then I was approached [by an executive member] at the end of the year and asked if I wanted to take on some more responsibility,” recalls Palios.
The value of campus arts
“You use a totally different part of your brain when you’re making music, or dancing, or creating visual art, compared to when you’re studying,” explains Laushway. “Taking the time to do what I love artistically is a total pick-me-up during the school year, and actually makes me more focused when I go back to my schoolwork.”
This kind of sentiment is echoed across the board by other artistic student leaders, with many of them emphasizing how much of an escape arts can be from the stress of school. “It’s an easy way to get active — it’s nice to always focus on your academics, that’s why you’re here, but you need that break and you need that time away from your studies, and you can express yourself through movement,” says Chioran.
Another equally popular response is the communities that are created by the different organizations. “You meet so many different people, I’ve made so many good friends, it’s a community that understands all it’s members,” says Wong about the U of T theatre community. Davis and Chioran feel the same way about their dance company, adding that it’s made up of people from different colleges and fields of study. “You’ll be at one of the first company rehearsals, and you can see the bonds start to form,” says Chioran, “they’re like, hey, I have a class with you I think!”
Palios sums up the sentiment when she talks about what a big world U of T can seem to students: “Right away I wanted a small community — coming to the OHDC it’s such a welcoming environment, everyone’s so nice, you can just love dance and do your thing.”
Advice for getting involved
Students who want to be part of the Hart House Chorus can book an audition in September. Laushway’s advice for getting involved in arts on campus is to research: “there are tons of opportunities to get involved, but you have to know about them,” she says.
Davis and Chioran both insist that if you want to dance, you need to dance. “We’ve had people in our company who didn’t dance in their first year, and they really regret it,” says Chioran. Silhouettes holds two large auditions at the beginning of September.
Wong emphasizes that the drama community at U of T is big enough that there really is a place for everyone — information about upcoming auditions can be found on the group’s Facebook page.
The OHDC has pieces available for all levels of dance — auditions are held based on skill level, so a beginner dancer would audition for a beginner hip-hop class. “There’s no place like university to tell you you’re not good enough sometimes,” says Palios, adding: “Being part of [clubs like] OHDC is a huge confidence boost, it really helps with your self esteem.”
