No off Switch: How Marist Dance Ensemble Builds Year-Round

The Marist Dance Ensemble in practice. Photo by Lauren Tracey ‘26

When the lights dim for summer and winter breaks, the Marist Dance Ensemble may be away from campus, but the choreography never really stops.

Even during Marist University’s academic breaks, the largest student-run club on campus does not go still; its energy just settles into a quieter, more personal space.

Throughout the fall and spring semesters, the ensemble operates on a packed schedule with rehearsals every night of the week leading up to its end-of-semester showcases. Each routine rehearses on different nights, studios echo with music and dancers spend weeks perfecting their dances, formations and transitions; there is little time for breaks.

Summer and winter break are the only true “offseason.” But even then, the dancers keep up the hard work, just outside the studio, without an audience. 

Madison Chan ’26, vice president of the club, said that academic breaks are often the starting point for many choreographers’ creative process. 

“Even when we’re home for breaks, choreographers are thinking about what songs they want to use and what kind of style of dance they want to create,” Chan said.

A break from rehearsals allows dancers to use the offseason as a time for imagination. Choreographers replay certain songs repeatedly, visualizing formations in their minds as they hear the beat. Some write down eight-counts as they listen, while others record themselves dancing in their bedrooms or basements, trying out possible movements before returning to the Marist Dance Studio.

“It’s always something that is in the back of your mind,” Chan said. “You’ll hear a song and immediately think how it would be a perfect dance for the showcase.”

The distance from campus opens up opportunities to strengthen some ideas. Without the pressure of weekly (sometimes even daily) rehearsals or approaching performance dates, dancers have more time and freedom to experiment. Trying new styles, watching choreography videos for inspiration and reflecting on what they might want their next piece to be.

By the time students eventually return to campus, many choreographers already have their vision for their routine. 

“When we come back, everyone is excited to share what they’ve been working on,” Chan said. “It’s like all these ideas have been coming together in the background.”

The offseason also gives executive board members time to reflect on the previous semester, discussing what worked well in the last showcase, if rehearsals were organized well and how to improve communication for the future. Preparation for auditions and recruitment starts long before the first interest meeting takes place.

As the largest student-run club on campus, it is key for the Marist Dance Ensemble to keep organized behind the scenes. Academic breaks give time for board members to update schedules, review budgets and prepare for the busy, yet exciting season ahead.

What stands out most about the offseason is the consistency of passion. Even though there are no rehearsals to attend, long nights in the studios or costume fittings, the creativity does not pause with the academic calendar.

For Chan, the steady dedication to keep dancing is what truly defines the group. 

“Just because we’re not physically together in the studio, that doesn’t mean it stops,” Chan said. “Dance doesn’t really have an off switch.”