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The great thing about being a graduate student at Columbia College Chicago is that everywhere you turn, there are opportunities to get involved in.  This is true both on and off of Columbia’s campus.  Check out what experiences I took part in this week!

Though I am studying to be Dance/Movement Therapists, I am still learning how to use artistry and creativity in the field in order to help others.  As such, it is beneficial that Columbia provides such an artistically free environment that is teeming with creative energy everywhere you look. This past week, I had the opportunity to check out Voices of Strength, which was a two-program performance hosted by The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago.  As I had mentioned in my last blog post, I was very excited to see the performance.  Having the opportunity to watch these women combine dance and theater to deliver powerful messages was not only educational but also inspiring for me as a student.  This is not the only performance that The Dance Center will be hosting throughout the course of the year, either.  There are many performances, and tickets for students are only $5.00, which is a pretty good deal, if you ask me!

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The opportunities available to Columbia students extend off-campus, as well.  As Dance/Movement Therapy & Counseling MA students, we have the opportunity to get involved in the community by assisting with a dance class for children with physical disabilities.  The class offers a fun and interactive way for the children to dance, and a had the pleasure of assisting the class this weekend with a few of my classmates. It was an exciting day, because I noticed it was one of the first times I had the opportunity to apply knowledge I have gained from the DMT & C program.  I was noticing how they were moving and where I could step in to help them. From the experience, I learned how to better assist the children to move using different aspects of the Bartenieff Fundamentals, as well as different teaching methods.  I started to learn how each individual is different, and, as such, may require different techniques to assist them in moving.

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Last but certainly not least, I had an opportunity to attend the NAMIWalks 5K along the lakefront.  So what exactly does NAMI stand for?  NAMI is the National Alliance of Mental Illness, and their goal is to raise awareness for and stop the stigma of mental illness.  NAMI hosts walks all over the nation in support of this cause and, just this past weekend, hosted a 5K in Chicago.  To show our support, the Dance/Movement Therapy & Counseling students started a team and walked the 5K alongside lake Michigan.  It was touching to see how many people were at the event to support this cause.

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Having the opportunity to attend Columbia College Chicago has introduced me to so many  experiences like these already.  I can’t wait to see what other opportunities are just around the corner.