Lauren Stucko and Clayton Willis
Each year, the student body of the School of Dance elects officers and an Executive Board. For the 2017-18 school year, the Co-Presidents of the Mason Dance Company, chosen by their peers, are seniors Lauren Stucko from Middletown, New Jersey, and Clayton Willis, originally from Roanoke, Virginia. They recently spoke about their responsibilities and objectives as student leaders and their goals for the upcoming school year.
Lauren, who spent her summer at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina and participated in the Next Festival in New York City, said their goals included “increasing on campus awareness of the School of Dance and the performances produced by the Mason Dance Company”. Clayton, an intern in company management at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival this past summer, added that they would endeavor to “help keep the culture of the School of Dance positive and supportive”. Both plan to act as advocates and liaisons between the students and the faculty and administration. They have also organized a mentoring program for returning students to encourage our newly arrived freshman and to help them assimilate into the challenging environment of the School of Dance and transition from their high school, home lives to a rewarding on campus undergraduate lifestyle.
The Co-Presidents hope to engage with the off campus community in potential fund raising projects for health care organizations in our area. In the spring, they will also initiate a fund raising project for the Mason Dance Company.
Successful artists have always found it necessary to be not only innovative, resourceful, and creative practitioners in their fields, but advocates for it as well. For Lauren and Clayton to take on such important leadership roles, in addition to their rigorous artistic, academic, and performance commitments, is certainly to be applauded, supported, and commended.
—By Mason School of Dance