Rachel Rogers ’18 to showcase work in Senior Dance Concert

Rachel Rogers. Photo by Andrew Wilds


Rachel Rogers will present her Senior Dance Concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10, in Sweet Briar’s Upper Dance Studio in the Babcock Fine Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The Senior Dance Concert is the culmination of the dance major at Sweet Briar. Rogers, from New Kent, says her concert will be about “displaying the human body, myself, and what I love to do,” including the “fun and life that dance brings.” She will perform under the direction of dance professors Ella and Mark Magruder.

In addition to her academics, Rogers has been an active participant in the College’s athletic programs, where she is a dual-sport varsity athlete. She’s played both field hockey and softball for Sweet Briar and has also participated in several tap clubs. Mark Magruder notes that her competitive spirit helps her in her performances.

“She is a great competitor. She used her drive and spirit to create an exciting B.F.A. concert in the fall. I hope Rachel’s Senior Dance Concert will continue to build on her successful B.F.A. concert,” he said.

That drive and spirit is something Rogers says she’s been able to build on at Sweet Briar.

“Sweet Briar has really taught me to be myself and to fight for what I believe in,” she said. “Dance is something I have always loved, and here at Sweet Briar, I have always been encouraged to think outside the box and think about how a simple moment can make myself and others feel. It is such an intimate form of dance that you can see the rawness of a topic, a smile within a story or simple, abstract movement with a deeper meaning.”

She’s not yet sure of her plans post graduation, but, she says, “I know that whatever I choose, I will take this education and love with me.”

For more information, email Magruder at mmagruder@sbc.edu.