Finding Community & Growth: CA Dance Company’s CoDEO Experience

When Colorado Academy’s Dance Company traveled to the Colorado Dance Education Organization (CoDEO) conference in Pueblo, Colo., this year, they brought back more than new dance techniques—they returned with deeper connections, renewed confidence, and fresh inspiration.

For the fifth consecutive year, CA Dance & Theater Teacher Melissa Zaremba led CA dancers to CoDEO, where they participated in a variety of workshops and performances. “I love that CoDEO is not a competition and the focus is on education,” Zaremba explains. “It’s so important for them to learn from teachers other than myself with different areas of expertise and knowledge.”

The educational focus of CoDEO exposes students to dance styles and cultural traditions they might never encounter otherwise. Over the years, CA dancers have explored Persian Dance, Polynesian, Bollywood, Danza Azteca, and Samba, among many others. 

Sophomore Juliet Malick found memorable moments in Contemporary Ballet as well as Jazz—“challenging classes that were still really fun, engaging experiences where I was able to not only grow as a dancer but do it with my friends,” she says. “I learned how I deal with styles that are a little—or a lot—out of my comfort zone and involve more risk.”

For Junior Mila Hudson, being selected for the All-State Dance Ensemble—a competitive process that required a separate video audition—provided a standout experience. “It was super fun to meet all the girls who got in just like me, and I made many new friends from it,” she says. “It was also interesting to learn the All-State Dance choreography, and I feel like it helped me grow as a dancer.”

CA dancers have made their mark at CoDEO year after year, with students earning scholarships to support their continuing dance education at four out of five conferences the school has attended. Choreographers have selected CA students based on technical skills, kindness, and character. This year, Malick joined that tradition, receiving a scholarship that carried special weight given the caliber of dancers in attendance. “It meant a lot to be recognized for all of the work I had put into my dance and performing career at CA and throughout my life,” Malick says, “especially when there were so many amazing dancers in my choreography group who all deserved recognition.”

The power of shared experience

The most powerful aspect of the CoDEO experience may not be found in any individual class, but in the collective joy of learning together. Senior Emery Mikula describes a Hip Hop session that embodied something essential: “The energy was so amazing in the room, and everybody was just smiling and having a great time. It was a moment that really captured the essence of hard work, but also playfulness and support within the Company that was really special.”

Zaremba sees this connection as one of the conference’s most valuable outcomes. “One of my favorite things is watching the way they bond with one another and bring that back home,” she says. “They develop new levels of camaraderie and support that can only come from shared experience.”

Senior Rosie Risch echoes this sentiment: “My favorite CoDEO classes are the ones we do all together. Being able to see their skills and strengths in contexts that I don’t get to see at school is amazing.” 

The conference also serves as a creative catalyst. Some students “come back with new inspiration for a piece they think we should work on next,” Zaremba says.

“During my time at CoDEO I took many new classes and styles that I have never taken before, such as Bollywood,” Hudson says. “I’m excited to take what I learned from CoDEO and share it with the class so we can all grow as dancers.”

There’s another dimension to attending CoDEO with Zaremba: witnessing her deep connections in the dance world. “She knows everybody on the CoDEO board and can start up a conversation with any person there, because she’s had so much professional experience,” Risch says. “Getting to hear stories from her—from when she was working professionally in dance, when she was a Rockette, when she was choreographing in Chicago—is so fun. We get to see how her professional career before CA is still informing how she teaches.”

 

A culture of inclusion and growth

The supportive atmosphere students experience at CoDEO reflects the culture Zaremba has deliberately cultivated in CA’s Dance Company. “I have worked to build a community of mutual respect and support,” she explains. “We have always had dancers of varied backgrounds in style and level, and it’s been part of the DNA since Day 1 that we all learn from one another’s strengths and support one another’s growth.”

Students recognize and value this intentional culture. “CA Dance Company is an incredibly special place,” Mikula says. “Every single dancer is inclusive, supportive, and extremely talented. Our group values hard work, but knows that friendships connect the dancers and make it overall a really unique space within CA.”

Malick describes it as “a culture where you can find friends in different grades and across the school, while still putting out a really high level of performance.” Sophomore Tanner Parkin’s description goes deeper: “I would describe it as a home away from home and a family that I can rely on through thick and thin.”

This family atmosphere coexists with serious artistic development. “Ms. Z was extremely welcoming and kind while also pushing me to be a better performer,” Malick says as one of her reasons for joining.

 

The diversity of student backgrounds and peer-to-peer learning strengthens the program. “Every person who’s in Company has a different background in dance,” Risch explains. “There’s a wide variety of styles that people are really strong at. What Ms. Z has always done well is to survey the strengths of Company dancers and figure out what we would enjoy trying.” She recalls that last year, then-Senior Gabriela Gonzales created a whole salsa piece—“really utilizing Gabi’s unique skill set and letting her share that with the rest of the Company.”

“When they figure out a skill someone has that they may not, they are unafraid to ask that student for assistance or coaching,” Zaremba observes. “Every single one of us has something to learn from someone else in the room, including me, and that’s just part of normal day-to-day interactions.”

Zaremba’s approach extends to individualizing the experience for each dancer. “She really does not want to standardize the Company course for everyone,” Risch says. “She recognizes that some people may want to choreograph, and some people have certain skills that they really want to work on. She’s so good at making sure that every person is able to get what they want out of being in Company.”

“I’ve had priceless opportunities to choreograph and teach in this class,” says Parkin, “and considering that I would like to carry my passion for Hip Hop through college by teaching, those experiences are very important to me.”

Beyond the studio

For many students, dance provides a crucial respite during the school day. “It’s really easy to kind of forget about everything that you’re working on outside of dance when you’re in the dance studio,” Risch says. “You might have just left a really stressful test or you have a paper waiting for you when class is over, but when you’re actually in the class, it doesn’t really matter. You focus on the dance, and you’ll have fun, and those 80 minutes will go by super fast.”

Many CA Dance Company members pursue dance intensively outside of school as well. Ella Sharma performed in The Nutcracker last fall. Emma Kim, Bea Yang, Parkin, and Hudson all dance competitively. And many others integrate their dance skills into CA’s Theater program.

And the program’s impact extends beyond technical skills. Zaremba hopes dance provides students with “transferable skills learned that can go everywhere and anywhere with them. Building grit, perseverance, patience, collaboration, work ethic, problem-solving, respect, perspective, and the value of one’s voice.” Most importantly, she wants it to remain “a source of joy and an outlet for them that they can always return to.”

 

Growing momentum

The program’s growth reflects its success in creating meaningful experiences. “When I first took over CA Dance Company, I struggled to have more than two or three students in there for the first couple years,” Zaremba recalls. “It’s been a purposeful building process that has now led us to the largest company yet.” 

That growth matters because of what the program contributes to the broader CA community—performances during Homecoming, the Halloween Parade, MLK Celebrations, Upper School Award Ceremonies, among others. “If I had given up after those first few tough years of gaining momentum, we would never have found our place in the community the way we have,” Zaremba reflects. “I’m proud that we are visible and making a difference at CA.”

For students considering joining, current members offer clear advice: Come as you are. “You don’t have to be a perfect dancer to hold value in the Dance Company space,” Mikula says. “More important than being the best dancer is being willing to learn, take risks, and show energy and true passion for what you’re doing on stage and in practice.”

Or as Malick puts it, CA Dance Company is “a very welcoming community where anyone can grow as a person and a performer.”

That combination of community and growth—so evident at this year’s CoDEO conference—is precisely what keeps bringing CA dancers back to the studio, ready to explore what’s next.

View more photos from CoDEO    Watch video from CoDEO