Award-winning Georgetown dance group Groove Theory is weighing the possibility of leaving the Student Activities Commission and switching to the Program for Performing Arts due to conflicts over space and money.
“SAC is really not conducive to what we do, they’re more for clubs than for performing arts groups,” Amanda Doran (COL ‘07), a member of Groove Theory’s management team, said.
PPA dance groups can perform in more campus venues than SAC groups can, Doran said.
“We can’t dance in the Davis Center, in the Gonda Theater, or in [Walsh] Blackbox. We can’t practice in the New South dance studios,” she added.
The group currently practices in Yates, where they are not allowed to use the sound system.
“[The sound system] is the best part,” Groove Theory management team member Jared Jenkins (MSB ‘06) said. “When you’re dancing with a boombox, it’s not the same…we want the whole room pumping us. Hopefully we’ll be able to use New South.”
Last weekend, the group carried home a first place award from the University of Maryland’s Dynamic Dance Competition, but financial conflicts are hindering the group from moving on to competitions on a national level, Groove Theory member Liora Ziv (COL ‘08) said.
“Under SAC, we don’t have a very large budget. We don’t have access to any type of transportation. It limits the things we do,” Doran said.
Groove Theory’s SAC Commissioner Samad Pardesi (COL ‘06) has not spoken with members of Groove Theory all year.
“I do send periodic emails to the groups I’m responsible for, I haven’t heard anything from Groove Theory,” he said.
“They [Groove Theory] are able to get transportation through SAC…the agreement is normally we’ll fund 40%, they’ll fund 60%. Groove Theory has the budget at their disposal…they just need to come to us with what they need,” he added.
Jenkins says that communication with SAC is unnecessary. SAC has not been able to sponsor a lot of things in the past, he said.
“We don’t go to SAC anymore for funding, we do it ourselves. You get like $200 for the whole year,” Jenkins added.
SAC allocates money on a need basis, according to Pardesi.
According to PPA managing director Ron Lignelli, if Groove Theory moves to PPA, they will need to request money through the Performing Arts Advisory Council, which like SAC, is set up under Student Affairs.
“Until I see a budget, who knows. I don’t know anything about their travel or their budget,” he said.
Doran said that SAC has been reluctant in giving the group the paperwork necessary to make the transition from SAC to PPA.
“I started searching for our budget spring semester last year, it’s been a long process, a big mess,” Doran said. “They can’t find our constitution. That’s why we can’t switch to PPA, because they can’t find our stuff.”
SAC does not officially have the group’s constitution on file. “It’s not our prerogative to have their constitution. I admit, we definitely should have it; I’m surprised that we don’t, actually, it’s definitely our bad,” Pardesi said.
Jenkins said that this summer the group plans on completing the paperwork necessary for the transition to PPA.
“I don’t know what to expect, it’s more like a wait until you see what happens type of thing…we’re looking for more recognition campus-wide, more support,” he said.
