By Cathy Guiles

Perspectives Co-Editor

When the Calvin College Dance Guild performs tonight in the Fine Arts Center auditorium, plenty of action will occur on stage, but even more has already taken place in rehearsals and meetings throughout the semester.

One of the key figures in the months of preparation is senior Josh Wall, the public relations manager for Dance Guild. In addition to handling many of the behind-the-scenes details, Wall is a dancer and choreographer whose efforts can be seen on stage.

``I enjoy the combination of art and movement,'' said Wall. ``In some ways [dance is] an incredibly artistic activity; it's expression, emotion and cultural, but at the same time, it's physical and challenging.

``It's a blend between the two ends of the spectrum,'' he added. ``I leave many practices tired and sweaty, but at the same time I know that what is being made is an expressive form of art.''

Wall enjoys dance despite the negative perception of male dancers that some people may have.

``The stereotype of male dancers is a joke among all the guys in Dance Guild; we kid about it,'' he said. ``We are surrounded by the conception that guys and dancing just cannot mix unless you have no sense of masculinity at all.''

``Many guys like to dance, but avoid it because of some stereotypes brought with male dancers,'' sophomore dancer Grant Guiley said. ``Josh has been the one to step forward and say that he doesn't care about stereotypes, he just likes to dance, and he does it despite what anyone thinks.''

According to Wall, working with the predominantly female members of Dance Guild ``is definitely an eye opening experience.''

``For the first time in my life I'm in the minority,'' he said. `` I grew up in a small town in rural Michigan; diversity at Calvin is huge compared to what I had back home.''

``It's been interesting to be in a distinct minority,'' he added. But I don't feel that this affects my ability as a leader. People are people-- male, female, whatever you want to put in there, we all have needs and places we need to be affirmed and encouraged.''

Other members of Dance Guild recognize Wall's leadership abilities.

``He has been a leader to other guys,''Guiley said.

``Without Josh on leadership, there would be something missing,'' senior Brian Hamilton, Dance Guild's business manager, said. ``He is always willing to help and give input when asked.''

``I'm in his swing piece and he does all he can to polish it to be a classy piece, but he never gets caught up in what the crowd will think or if you're not doing a perfect job,'' said sophomore Anna Rodriguez. ``He's about having fun and that is what Dance Guild should be about. I always enjoy practice.''

Wall's duties as public relations manager primarily concern communication and orderliness.

``I'm the little part of the organization that helps make sure everyone is on the same page,'' Wall said. ``I deal with all issues dealing with spacing and publicity.''

``I reserve our rehearsal spaces, and take care of posters and the shoot by CVN of the show. The majority of my time with Dance Guild is spent running inter-reference with anyone that wants to talk to us. Most large decisions are made by the leadership team as a whole. We discuss things and reach a consensus as a community of leaders in the organization.''

When asked what he enjoys about his position, Wall replied: ``I enjoy being able to shape what happens. I've always enjoyed being able to look at the big picture and work towards that. Shaping an organization, that's been a drive for me for years. So I enjoy dealing with the problems and coming up with creative and appropriate solutions to them all.''

Senior Lindsay DeKoter, one of the head choreographers for Dance Guild, added, ``He lends not only drive in accomplishing things but also originality, craziness, and some definite male dance talent. He's always the one to offer a fresh perspective; it's only a question of whether that will make us think more actively or just laugh our heads off.''

In anticipation of the week leading up to tonight's show, Wall said: ``I won't see [the other numbers] until dress rehearsal, so that is always a lot of fun, and also to see this theoretical thing finally grow some wings and fly...With the exception of a select few pieces, I have no idea what the pieces look like, so that is the most exciting part of it all.''

Members of Dance Guild spoke enthusiastically about their organization as well as their art.

DeKoter said, ``Dance is, to me, the most uncondensed and fascinating of all art forms, because it involves the artist and his or her audience wholly -- through visual patterns, color, sound, rhythm, underlying theme, movement, athleticism, discord and balance, everything.''

``I don't know what everyone at Calvin thinks about Dance Guild, but I really want Dance Guild to be about enjoying the gift of dance that God gave us,'' Rodriguez said. ``It's not about looking sexy on stage or competing over whose dance is the best. It's about providing an opportunity for both people who have danced before and for those who haven't, to come together, have a blast, and most of all glorify God with our bodies.''

Guiley agreed. ``I like Dance Guild because it is a fun way to interact with others, it allows you use the gifts God has given you, and, of course, because dancing is a lot of fun,'' he said.

A lot of fun, yes, but also a lot of work.

``I love Dance Guild,'' Wall said, ``but I will also be happy for some time to breathe when this ends... and then we'll begin planning for next spring's show.''