The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Costa modifies dance department

    Former head of the dance program Martie Fellom, left, recently retired. University dance instructor and new head of the dance program Keith “Skip” Costa, right, planned several new additions for the dance program. Costa, bottom left, participated in the most recent dance performance of Fall 2016, the annual improv  show.
    File Photo/The Lion's Roar 

    University dance instructor Keith “Skip” Costa has now been named head of the dance program. Skip has revealed that he is humble, grateful, blessed and happy following the news of his promotion that occurred on Jan. 4, 2017.

    Costa has invested four years of his life teaching for the university as a part-time lecturer. He hopes to implement several changes in the upcoming semester.

    “I think change is good,” said Costa. “We are changing every second of our lives is what I tell my students.”

    Costa was elected by his peers to serve on the National Board of Directors of the American College Dance Association. He spent the summer of 2016 at ACDA’s National Conference in Washington, D.C., which was held at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, discussing ideas and trends regarding dance as an academic field with 40 other board members from other colleges and universities. 

    “ACDA is the premier conference for university dance accreditation in the U.S.,” said Costa.

    Costa has worked under former dance instructor Dr. Martie Fellom who has recently retired and is former head of the dance department. Costa revealed one of the many lessons that Fellom taught him.

    “Trust in your own creative path no matter where it takes you or how little training you have,” said Costa. “She taught me that way back when I took my first class with her.”

    Students will receive more opportunities to refine their skills in performance and receive a knowledge of dance from guests. 

    “There will be more opportunities for our students to perform, various master classes, guest artists being brought in from across the United States and greater national recognition for our professional contemporary dance program that Dr. Fellom and I reorganized the past four years both at ACDA, American College Dance Association and globally,” said Costa.

    Another addition to the dance program will be monthly town meetings. According to Costa, they will be held from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month this semester and will take place beginning Fall 2017 from 3:30 to 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. 

    “Town meetings are a way for Southeastern students within our dance program to invest themselves deeper into the professionalism behind being just a student,” said Costa. “They gain access to current trends, performance opportunities, master classes, curriculum development and most importantly build a community within the dance program. The meeting will discuss all topics related to current trends in dance as well as what is going on in our dance program at Southeastern and will allow an opportunity for student voices and opinions to be heard within an open facilitated discussion.”

     The dance program is currently working with Texas Christian University to establish the XI Chapter of Chi Tau Epsilon Dance Honor Society. It will include chapters from other accredited Dance Programs throughout the United States. 

    According to Costa, the purpose of this organization is to recognize the superior ability of performing artists of the dance and to promote the combined and individual interests in the achievements of the performing arts, as stated in the Alpha founding chapter at TCU. 

    Members of the Dance Honor Society must pay fees, obtain service hours and maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher as dance majors within the general studies degree.

    “Chi Tau Epsilon will meet one to two times a month during the 3:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesday when town meeting is not meeting,” said Costa. “2 to 4 p.m. is the best time to commit to our dance program since we have our meeting 3:30 to 4 p.m., and we rehearse 2 to 3:30 p.m. with our Dance Performance Project, our resident contemporary dance company for our dance program students.”

    Throughout all of the changes that Costa hopes to implement to the dance program, his mission remains simple: to bring as many professional opportunities to students while increasing the numbers in dance majors and minors.

    “Due to a nonexistent budget, it is very difficult to produce the quality of professional work that the students deserve and to bring in professional artists for master classes,” said Costa. “One focus is to try and exhaust all options possible to gain a budget for our dance program. I know the students after expressing their desire and commitment for change are working on a proposal for a $1 student assessed fee to help with this situation and this alone will also allow all students to see our concerts which now they have to pay for out-of-pocket due to the fact that we have no student assessed fee for the dance program.”

    Costa, who was approved for a state regent’s grant of $82,000 in the 2015-2016 period, did not receive the grant when the state ran out of funding. He has plans to re-apply for the grant in the next few weeks to finish production on the dance studio but is thankful for the university grant he received.

    “I hope to see a greater increase in dance majors and dance minors,” said Costa. “More on-campus performances in informal spaces, a newly renovated technologically advanced dance studio fully capable of producing informal concerts from the two grants which I was awarded last year from Southeastern which totaled $43,000.”

    After studying under Fellom for years, Costa has developed goals of a leadership style all his own.

     “I want to be a leader that is approachable, honest, respected, fearless, humble, remains passionate about dance and is kind to others,” said Costa. “One that pushes dance to the extremities of what it can do and always remains true to dance as a creditable field of academic study at the university level.”

    His main goal of his newfound leadership has little to do with reaping rewards solely for himself. 

    “Most importantly, when our dance program students look back on their creative time here at Southeastern, that they remember the once-in-a-lifetime experiences they had with me in our dance studio,” said Costa. “Or performing in one of our many venues here on campus and truly realize these experiences are a part of what made them who they are today, better human beings.”

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