Fresno City College’s dance department has had many events this semester, but one of their most special events is the City Dance Fall Workshop, which was held just this past weekend .

City Dance not only gives those in the dance department a chance to perform their love and craft on stage, but also invites non-department members to take part.

Whether someone wants to dance on stage, learn how to dance, or wants to overcome stage fright, City Dance is a great way to achieve any of those feats. However, this event is more about the art of performing than the art of dancing.

“It’s an opportunity for students in the dance department and others to … learn how to perform,” says Candace Young, Fresno City College dance department student “and every semester, they put on a concert where these students, after learning the fundamentals of performing, and … how to perform  in front of a crowd.

The event itself is not restricted to just one dance style, however. While it includes what most would expect from this event, which is ballet, it also includes styles such as modern, post-modern & jazz.

Jimmy Hao, dance instructor at Fresno City College and artistic director of the event, wanted to make sure that the vibe of City Dance was as diverse as it could possibly be.

“We don’t want to restrict the event to one style, at all,” says Hao. “The more diverse the style of dance, the more comfortable our newcomers will feel.”

Hao also stated, “The dance department itself has made wonderful process both in this semester and with this event. I expect it to be a festive one.”

A festive event it was. Not only did each performer do a solid job on stage, each performer looked to be joyful in what they were taking part in.

This is not the first City Dance held on campus. As stated earlier, this is a biannual event that has been a campus tradition for years, even inviting staff members from local dance academies and clubs, such as the Fresno Dance Collective and California Arts Academy Severance, to aid the performers and, on occasion, perform themselves.

This surely won’t be the last City Dance that we see on campus.

The event is not only a great way of teaching people an art form while helping others perfect it, but these types of events also build discipline and teamwork among everyone taking part.

This is definitely one of the more special events of Fresno City College theater arts, and we should expect to see more of it in the future.