Swerve Raises Money for MC Dance Marathon

Many students participate simply because they love the art of dance.

The annual Swerve Dance Competition was held in Swor Auditorium on Thursday, March 10, featuring student dance groups that dazzled the packed theater. Three groups were awarded laurels at the end of the night, and the top competitor took home prize money that went toward the group’s charity of choice. 

The prize money was raised from Swerve ticket sales with the earnings going to MC Dance Marathon, independent dance crew New Kids on the Block’s philanthropy. MC Dance Marathon, not unlike what the university does with the Swerve competition, raises money to benefit the patients and families of Children’s of Mississippi Hospital each year. 

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The winners of this year’s competition included the independent dance group New Kids on the Block as “Harry Potter” in first place, independent group What If’s as “Energy!” in second place, and Laguna Social Tribe as “Star Wars” in third place. 

“Most of our competitors are tribes and clubs which are service-oriented organizations. So, being able to give back to our philanthropies is very important to us. We get to donate all of the money made from the tickets in Swor to the winning team’s charity,” Maria Guay, a member of the Student Productions Committee, said. “Being able to give that money back to an organization that can better our community is completely invaluable and priceless.”

While the end goal of Swerve is to serve the surrounding community, many students participate simply because they love the art of dance.

“Swerve is really exciting for people who have been dancers in the past or are current dancers. I was a ballerina for 14 years, and Swerve is really different from ballet. But it’s getting me into dance again and I really enjoy it,” Lauren Allison, a junior competitor for Chenoa Social Tribe, said. “I also think it’s a great opportunity for everyone to be involved and truly grow as dancers.”

In fact, Swerve is such a big event for MC’s student body that tribes and clubs elect an official governing officer for it in their organization’s judicial election each year. The Swerve Captain is in charge of choreographing the routine, mixing the music to be used on stage, and implementing stage direction and costume design for the spring semester’s competition. 

Allison, who is a co-captain for her tribe’s Swerve team alongside Hannah Lopez, added that Swerve is worth any stress caused by the planning and coordinating of such a large operation. 

“This has been a really fun process. It stretched my comfort zone being able to step up and lead a group of girls in this way. Our theme is something different for Chenoa and we are excited to showcase something new and different,” Allison said. 

Some more memorable dance routines included Kissimmee Social Tribe’s eleKTric dance crew as “MC’s Nursing School,” a double marriage proposal called “A Good Day for Marrying You” by an independent group called I’d Rather be Dancing, Civitan Men’s Club’s “Cops and Robbers,” Chenoa’s “A Trap Christmas,” and Nenamoosha Social Tribe’s “Taking Care of Business.”

The Council, Mississippi College’s governing committee over tribes and clubs, believes that Swerve is an important and creative way for all students to display their artistry–even those students who don’t belong to a service organization. 

“I think Swerve is an amazing way to show your talent, from the costume [design], to the music, to the way the music flows through the transitions,” said Jarred Couch, co-president of the Council. “It’s an incredible opportunity to showcase your talent in a way that you may not be able to on the football field or baseball field. Through Swerve you can really showcase any talent.”