Orchesis Dance Company
Orchesis Dance Company is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's on-campus dance company that is affiliated with the Theatre and Dance Department. It is composed of approximately thirty students, alumni, and staff. Orchesis offers its dancers lessons in performance quality, education in technique, and a chance for artistic growth.
The “Orchesis” idea
In the early twentieth century, the idea of women studying the art of dance or participating freely in an artistic experience was not widely accepted. Margaret H’Doubler, however, created the first dance education program in the university system. Her legacy begins at the University of Wisconsin in the Physical Education Department. H’Doubler combined creative and scientific approaches to dance. She wanted to give the dancers on campus a chance to perform and eventually founded the "Orchesis Dance Club" in 1918. The word "orchesis," derived from the Greek word "orchestra," means the art or act of dancing. This idea of a performing dance club spread through universities nationwide.Orchesis at Cal Poly
The Orchesis Dance Company at Cal Poly was created by Dr. Moon Ja Minn Suhr. She received her schooling in Korea and graduated from Ewha Womans University. She received her master's degree in Dance Education from The University of Northern Colorado and founded the Orchesis Dance Company at Cal Poly in the same year. In 1988, Dr. Suhr received her Ph.D. from Texas Woman's University in Dance and the Related Arts. Dr. Suhr directed the Orchesis Dance Company at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo from 1969 until 2000. She remains an avid supporter of the company and continues to teach in the Theatre and Dance Department.Auditions
To become a member of the Orchesis Dance Company, one must audition due to the limited number of places in the company. Auditions occur during the first week of Fall Quarter in the Moon Ja Minn Suhr Dance Studio Preparatory workshops are held that Tuesday and Wednesday, and the directors teach auditioning dancers a modern, jazz, and ballet combination. A panel of dance faculty from Cal Poly and the student interns watch groups of three perform these combinations. Audition results are usually posted by midnight.Once members accept their invitation into the company, they are required to enroll into Dance 345: Choreography & Workshop in Dance Concert Preparation, and in Winter Quarter with Dance 346: Dance Production. Both of these classes include an activity and a lab. Although Orchesis is an ASI Club, it is also known as an academic organization because it is funded through the Instructionally Related Activities for the Theatre and Dance Department at Cal Poly.