RSO Spotlight: Dance Co-Motion and Feminist Voice

As a way of chronicling the student experience at Fort Lewis College The Independent will be running a series of articles spotlighting the Registered Student Organizations on Campus. The RSOs chosen for each article are randomly generated and featured in the order they were chosen.

There is more to the college experience than merely showing up for class and turning in assignments on time.

From live music, outside lecturers, theatrical performances, movie showings and student-organized rallies, there are a multitude of extracurricular activities that can build onto your time at FLC.

Included in this are the various Registered Student Organizations students can join, such as Dance Co-Motion and Feminist Voice

Dance Co-Motion

Dance Co-Motion is a diverse group with aerialists, circus trained performers, native hoop dancers and many people from majors all across campus, Ciara Abbott, Dance Co-Motion president, said.

Every semester, the club prepares for a show that consists of 19 to 21 dances, Abbott said. The performance is held the weekend before finals of every semester.

Tickets are sold for $5 beforehand and $7 at the Fort Lewis College Theater door, she said. Children five and under are allowed in for free.

Each dance has an hour practice every week, she said. Members of the club can be as involved in as many dances as they want.  

“Dance Co-Motion has call auditions that anyone who comes and dances will get into a dance no matter what,” Abbott said.

Auditions are held the first weekend of every semester and are located in the Vallecito room in the Student Union, she said.

“We accept students and non-students,” Abbott said. “We take everyone of all ages. We have had kids in it before. We have had older groups of people dancing.”

To join Dance Co-Motion, a high level of experience is not needed, she said.  

“You can never have even danced before or not be able to keep a beat, and we accept you,” Abbott said.  

One of the major issues Dance Co-Motion faces is the lack of visibility, she said.

“A lot of people do not realize that they have a place that they can go and learn how to express themselves through dance or even continue expressing themselves through dance,” she said.

Feminist Voice

Feminist Voice is a club on campus that raises awareness about feminism, Adele Mitchell, Feminist Voice president, said.

The club’s meetings are held on Mondays at 4:30 p.m. in the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center in Reed Library, Mitchell said.

One of the misconceptions they commonly talk about are the different waves of feminism.

“A lot of people think that third-wave feminism is the most illegitimate form,” she said. “Whereas in my opinion it is probably one of the most important waves.”

Third-wave feminism is similar to second-wave feminism, except it is more inclusive, she said.

 

Second wave started in the ‘60s where it was known as the bra burners, the wage gap, and reclaiming your body, Mitchell said.

“Third wave is more just like a continuation of that wave but it also focuses more on intersectionality,” she said.

Feminist Voice is raising awareness of feminism on campus and how it is not about hating men, but about wanting to be treated equally and to have equal rights, she said.

“To be like respected for who we are and to be respected despite our minority differences or marginalized differences, for the people of color and the trans people,” Mitchell said.

During the club meetings, Feminist Voice likes to focus on important events, while also giving a safe place for people to talk about their ideas without being disrespected, she said.

In February, Feminist Voice will show its annual performance of The Vagina Monologues, she said.

On Nov. 30, they will host a movie premiere of “Thelma and Louise” because it is a movie with strong feminist themes, Mitchell said.

“I believe that media does not portray women as strong and independent women,” she said. “So we are trying to put some movies out there.”

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