Welcome to Student Group Spotlight! Every month, we will feature a different student group to demonstrate the many diverse groups we have at MacEwan and how they all contribute to a vibrant, thriving community on our campus.
Meet the MacEwan University Dance Club! We sat down with their team to discuss how you can join their club, their experience at Block Party and the benefits of joining a Student Group.
SAMU: Hi, welcome to the SAMU Student Groups Spotlight! Let’s get started by telling me a bit about yourselves.
Lexi: Hi, I’m Lexi. I am the VP co-external of MUDC, majoring in Psychology. I’ve been dancing for 15 years; this is my second year at MUDC.
Ansherina: Hi, I’m Ansherina. I’m the VP of Finance of MUDC. I’m majoring in Accounting, and this is my 5th year dancing.
Kwyn: Hi, I’m Kwyn. I’ve been dancing since Hoedown Throwdown from Hannah Montana. I’m entering the third year of my communications degree and am the VP Internal of MUDC.
Angelene: Hi, I’m Angelene, the President of MUDC. I’ve been with the group since 2017 and am entering my third year of my accounting major.
Kaixell: Hi, I’m Kaixell. I am the VP co-external of MUDC and have been dancing all my life. I’m entering my second year as a psychology major.
Ben: Hi, I’m Ben. I’ve been dancing since high school, and I’m entering my second year as a commerce student training to be the next VP of Finance.
Ivan: Hi, I’m Ivan. I am training to be the next VP of Social Media and have been dancing for three years. I’m taking a bachelor of arts, potentially majoring in phys ed.
Ralph: Hi, I’m Ralph. I am a biological sciences major and have been dancing for three years. I am in training to be the next secretary of MUDC.
Bec: I’m Bec, a second-year Design student at MacEwan and the VP of digital design at MUDC. I have been dancing since I was four years old and have always been passionate about dance.
SAMU: Nice to meet you all. What is the MacEwan University Dance Club (MUDC), and what do you do?
Angelene: MUDC was started in 2015 by Sergio Gomez through a Facebook group with his friends, who were all interested in dance at MacEwan. It quickly became a social club for people who liked dance and shared a passion for hip-hop, breaking and K-pop. Now, we host drop-in classes and regular practices and participate in and host various events from the fall showcase, UofA dance club showcase, Heritage Festival and more. Over the years, we have become connected with the dance community by working with dancers and instructors from around the area.
All: We cultivated our environment as a go-to place where students can take a break from studying and academic worries to enjoy our space and vibes while learning how to dance. MUDC is a place to have fun, grow through dance, and make friendships and connections.
SAMU: That sounds fun! Why did you all decide to join MUDC? What’s been your favourite part about being a member?
Lexi: I Joined MUDC during the first semester of my first year at MacEwan. I had been following MUDC on Instagram for a while and was excited to join. My favourite memory is the United 2024 showcase and all the practice we put into it.
Ansherina: I joined as an Executive during my third year, and I joined because I love to dance and wanted to make friends. My favourite memories are from when I taught our classes; it has really helped me grow as a dancer.
Kwyn: I first saw MUDC dancing at Block Party, which made me want to join the group! I later saw them at the Student Groups Expo and learned about the drop-in classes, and I joined them from there. The practices are my favourite part of being a member of this group. I love hanging out with everyone and staying up late at MacEwan.
Angelene: I joined MUDC in 2017 after a friend invited me. I had just moved here from the Philippines. It was tough for me to make connections and dance because I was part of a group back home, and leaving them was hard. So, I took the opportunity to attend the drop-in classes. It was really fun, so I kept going as a member, participated in performances and became an Executive soon after. My favourite memory is the Fall showcase we did last year. When I was introduced, I was introduced as “the artifact” and “the dinosaur” because I’ve been around MUDC for so long. Now it’s become an inside joke, so it was a really fun moment and event.
Kaixell: I joined MUDC around the same time as Lexi, Kwyn, Ralph and Ben a few years ago. I went to the trial week, and there were so many people it felt intimidating, but I kept coming back and joined the team. Some of my favourite memories are the friends I’ve made along the way and how I’ve grown as a person and become the VP of External; without MUDC, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Ben: After high school, I wasn’t sure about continuing dance, but last year, I went to the United showcase and saw MUDC perform for the first time. I had heard about MUDC from friends and the community, and seeing them perform was amazing. They had great energy, and I wanted to be a part of it, so I went to this year’s trial week, had a lot of fun, and decided to join. My favourite memory is talking with everyone and hanging out during practices and performances.
Ivan: I was already interested in dancing before I found MUDC, but when I found them, I saw that it was only $35 to join, a very affordable option for students to dance and perform. I was scared when I joined because I hadn’t danced on stage before, but I sang on stage, so I had some experience. I kept coming to classes, made friends, and joined the performance team. My favourite memory was the OSD showcase in 2023, which was my first time dancing on stage. It was different from singing, but it was fun, and I felt comfortable and in my zone.
Ralph: I started dancing as a kid, and in high school I joined the dance team and went to the same school as Ben. At MUDC, I joined the performance team to hang out with the team more. Angelene encouraged me to become a secretary in training. My favourite memory is our practices; they are super fun, and hanging out with everyone is lovely.
Bec: I joined MUDC because I love to dance and wanted to get involved in community and university life, which I missed out on at my previous university. When I learned about MUDC, I couldn’t wait to join. I love making friends in the group and feeling like I’m a part of the university environment.
SAMU: Thats great to hear you have all found a community. How might interested students join your group?
Angelene: Anyone can join; no auditions or experience are needed. We cater to beginners but hold classes with different difficulty levels and styles. We also cater to university students and non-students with our membership fee of $35, one of the most affordable fees around. As some people mentioned, we have a performance class you can pay an extra fee to join, giving you access to all the drop-in classes and performance opportunities. The fee is used to pay our instructors, dance teachers and performance team directors.
Anesherina: We value our instructors, teachers and directors and try hard to hire and bring in talented members from the dance community so our members have fantastic learning opportunities
SAMU: What events, performances and other activities do you host during the school year?
Angelene: We offer regular drop-in opportunities and rehearsals, and our main event is the fall showcase every December. Showcasing our performance team members and guests. Guests from outside MUDC can submit performances for that showcase if they want to perform. This fall, we were asked to perform at events like the MacEwan Block Party and the MacEwan Griffins Basketball game opener on November 1st. In winter, we are often invited to perform at different showcases like the UofA K-pop club showcase, the OSC dance club at UofA and the HDC showcase at Nait. We also perform at the Heritage Festival every year and are planning to host a community-level competition in the future.
SAMU: Tell us about your recent performance at Block Party. How did this come together?
Angelene: Block Party took place right after Heritage Festival, so our preparation was very limited since we had less than a month to organize and choreograph our performance, which was done by our VP of Performance June.
Lexi: It was a great event. Some of our general members led songs and formatted and taught the choreography, which was an excellent opportunity for them.
Bec: It was a cool opportunity. I got to lead a song and step into the shoes of a performance director, which was an amazing opportunity.
Lexi: Yeah, performing at street level was a different experience compared to being on a stage with bright lights where you can’t see the audience. You really get to feel the crowd’s energy and see your impact on people.
Ansherina: Block party is different than other performances because the audience doesn’t know what to expect or who you are, so you get to show them what you have and leave a lasting impact on them.
SAMU: How has involvement in this Student Group impacted your university experience?
Kaixell: I’ve heard a lot of experiences from members that they initially find MUDC intimidating and self-conscious since they last danced a long time ago. But at our drop-ins, we hype everyone up to get you excited and more comfortable. And this made our new members keep coming back and join the team. Overall, this is a great experience, especially for first-year students who might not know where their community is and need a place to start and find friends, which you can do during our trial week.
SAMU: What would you say to someone considering joining a student group?
All: Do it! You never know if you’ll meet your best friends there. It can be nerve-wracking since it’s a new space, but it is easy to get comfortable. Also, make sure to check out our fall showcase! It’s on December 20th in the Betty Andrews Recital Hall here at MacEwan, and you can buy tickets online on showpass.
You can connect with MUDC on social media through @muhiphopdance
Follow SAMU on social media through Instagram (@sa_macewan), Twitter (@SAMacEwan), and Facebook (Students’ Association of MacEwan University) to stay up to date on the latest events, programs, and services from your students’ association.
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