Dance Students Represent El Camino College at National Conference

Five El Camino College students recently performed at the 2025 National College Dance Festival in Washington, D.C. at the Georgetown University Gonda Theatre. The students performed an original piece conceived and choreographed by ECC student Janae Morris at the highly selective and prestigious American College Dance Association (ACDA) event, which showcased some of the best student work in the country.

​The conference, widely considered the “national championships of dance,” featured three dance works from each of the eleven regions across the United States. Works were chosen by an esteemed panel of adjudicators (professionals in the field of dance) to be showcased at the national festival staged at Georgetown and at George Washington University. Morris’ dance, “Carry On,” was described as an “honest, provocative choreopoem that explores struggle, capacity, endurance, and resilience.”

Morris created her work in the El Camino dance department’s fall 2024 choreography class. Performed by Morris, along with Gavrielle Garcia, Nyla Owusu, Meyonni Varnado, and Olivia Westhead, “Carry On” was featured in the college’s annual Fall Advanced Dance Concert and then chosen by El Camino’s full-time dance professors to be presented on the second night of the 2025 ACDA Baja Region Conference, staged in El Camino’s Marsee Auditorium this past spring. Students continued to work on the piece and let it expand and grow in rehearsals until the conference performance.  

“We are extremely proud of our students, and it is a true accomplishment for them as well as the regrowth of our dance program since the devastation of COVID-19,” said Elizabeth Adamis, a full-time dance faculty member at El Camino. “The fact that they were chosen over four-year universities with multifaceted dance departments and more resources is a true testament to their talent, efforts and creative spirits.”

Adamis coordinated the regional conference at El Camino that welcomed over 420 students and dance faculty who participated in four adjudicated concerts during the week. After each performance, acclaimed dance professionals Millicent Johnnie, Maura Keefe, and Jesse Zaritt gave two minutes of feedback and then a two-minute wrap up. El Camino presented two works for adjudication and Morris’s “Carry On” was among the 11 best selected to perform in the closing night Gala Concert. “Carry On” was then tapped to go to the national conference. The dance team’s travel expenses were supported by an anonymous donor and the ECC Foundation. Adjudicators were only told the title and music credits of each work to keep the process fair and objective.

“Performing in Washington, D.C. among other esteemed programs gave our students a unique experience and insight into the professional and academic dance world,” Adamis said. “They received two standing ovations for their performances in D.C. and Janae was approached by multiple peers and esteemed choreographers and dance professionals who congratulated her on her excellent work and her inspired vision. It was a great weekend and a culmination of a lot of hard work.”

The American College Dance Association’s primary focus is to support and promote the wealth of talent and creativity found throughout college and university dance departments. ACDA’s sponsorship of 11 regional conferences featured over 4,000 students and faculty from 256 universities, colleges and community colleges. ACDA programs provide platforms for students and faculty to engage in multiple performances, workshops, panels, and guest artist classes taught by instructors from around the region and country.

El Camino’s dance program offers a comprehensive foundation in the theory, history, technique, and art of dance to students seeking a degree, preparing to transfer to a four-year degree program in dance, or for dance and teacher training. Faculty members include experienced and certificated instructors who are also active professionals in Southern California, creating an important link for students to the wider community. 

Many ECC program alumni are currently active dance professionals throughout the country, working in respected companies; in commercial dance projects including music videos; teaching at high schools, colleges and universities; and running dance studios. In 2020, alumnus Son Lam Nguyen’s solo work from the ACDA Baja Conference was chosen for the national conference, but due to the pandemic, he never made it there. Nguyen remains active in dance, recently winning the 2024 Red Bull “Dance Your Style” competition and representing the U.S. in the world championships in India.

Registration is now open for summer and fall 2025 at El Camino College. Hundreds of in-person, online, and hybrid courses are available to help students meet their academic and career goals in a welcoming educational environment.

The schedule of classes, in both digital and searchable formats, can be viewed online: www.elcamino.edu/admissions/schedule.asp. Students may register online 24 hours per day at www.elcamino.edu by clicking on MyECC. Financial aid is available to qualifying students – go to www.studentaid.gov/ to apply. For more information, view www.elcamino.edu or call toll free 1-866-ELCAMINO.

More information about El Camino College’s Dance Department is available online: www.elcamino.edu/academics/areas-of-study/dance.php.