Pacific Index

2026 Spring Dance Works 

   Each spring, the Pacific Dance Ensemble puts on the Spring Dance Work. This preprofessional university dance company is composed of gifted Pacific students, who work tirelessly throughout the year to put on stunning shows for the Forest Grove community. Including this annual performance to close out the school year. Director of Dance and Associate Professor Jennifer Camp gave me some insight into the makings of this performance ahead of show week. 

   “Spring Dance Works is an annual performance that showcases guest artists, faculty, and student-choreographed works. This year features a guest alum choreographer, Victoria Perez , a 2019 grad, through the dance program’s guest alum choreographer residency, which connects working alum artists in the field with dance students,” says Camp.

   Perez describes A Woman’s Worth as, “a comedic satire to surmise the choreographer’s journey thus far navigating womanhood.” 

    A fitting theme for young women and college students trying to navigate their way through life and making the guest choreographer a Pacific alumni that much more valuable. Their knowledge of dealing with womanhood at Pacific gives them first-hand experience to work seamlessly with the student dancers to convey a strong message through movement. 

    But let’s take a step back, to fall auditions. 

   “Auditions are held at the start of each semester for all university students to audition to participate in the dance concerts.  Rehearsals begin in the second week of school and go up until we move into the theatre in the week prior to staging the show in April,” explains Camp.

   “Along the way, regular production meetings are held to layer the performance with the production components, staging, lighting, and costumes.”

   This is no small project, taking the entirety of the school year to make perfect for the audience. Months of prep, tons of help and support, coupled with hours and hours of practice in the studio. The talented dancers balance school, a social life and dance to put their very best into this show, for not only the viewers, but themselves. 

   Prof. Camp expressed many different reasons to be excited for the show. “This is an opportunity for the dance program to share the performance with both our campus community and the broader community. It gives audiences both seasoned and new, an opportunity to experience dance’s essential value as an art form and its profound impact on the human spirit; like all the arts, dance is a critical component of our culture and society,” she boasts.

   “It can lift us, challenge us to think, and help us see the world through a different lens. We hope the audience will enjoy this diverse collection of works and that they spark curiosity, raise awareness, and bring them joy!”

   Like many forms of the fine arts, dance cannot be described by words alone, so I encourage everyone free and willing to see the hard work of these dancers yourself. Performances will be held on April 23 & 24 at 7:30pm, and April 25 at 2pm in Tom Miles Theatre. With special guests and beautiful performances by a group of gifted dancers. 

   Lastly, dance is grateful for the contributions from the following: guest alum, Victoria Perez (sponsored by the Elliot Trust), student choreographer, Victoria Murray, Faculty works by Jennifer Camp, James Healey, Mary Hunt, and special guest performances by Unified Dance led by students Lily Gardner and Violet Bland on Thursday evening only, and Ballet Forest Grove students.