When lights dim, dancers spread across the stage.

The many shadows move along the wall. As the music fades in, dancers begin their movements.

The dancers in the Southern Illinois Dance Company spend much of their practice time on stage. That dedication culminated in this weekend’s spring concert,.

Donna Wilson, SIDC faculty advisor and associate professor of kinesiology, said there has been a progression of sorts for each dancer. As there is a certain amount of turnover each semester, Wilson must respond to each dancer’s progression individually, she said.

“[The dancers] do grow, but in terms of culmination, it’s a semester push because the amount of growth that happens every semester is hard to guess,” she said. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m starting over every semester.”

However, while the work each semester is a process, Wilson said she always sees growth in her students. Across a stretch of time each dancer begins to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses and help one another, she said.

“We start rehearsing the third week of the semester, so [the dancers] have a pretty long commitment,” Wilson said.

Second semester dancer Wyatt Humrichous, a junior from Chrisman studying political science, said he had very little dance background before he started and has grown substantially in his abilities.

“It’s interesting and there’s never a dull moment,” Humrichous said. “It can be crazy at times, but that’s part of the fun, seeing everyone excited and anxious and ready to perform. It’s an energy that’s not in a lot of other places.”

Dancing as a student requires a balancing classes and rehearsals. SIDC Vice President Emilio Velez, a senior from Oak Park studying radio and television, began dancing in high school and has experience juggling his activities, as he has been with the group since his freshman year.

“From the beginning of this year, I’ve improved tenfold,” Velez said. “And it’s hard, I don’t really have time for homework. It’s done only when I have a couple hour gap in between classes or when I’m sitting around at rehearsals because we have them Sunday through Thursday.”

Velez said he feels like a dancer first and a student second.

“There will be days that I have the first rehearsal slot and the last rehearsal slot,” he said. “I’ll be doing homework and come to the studio through the week, and if you’re not on the stage dancing, you’re in the auditorium seats doing homework and getting ready for your next practice.”

Velez said chaotic is a good word to describe rehearsals and the weeks before the concert events. Everyone is a family but, at times, it can become tense, he said.

“When you hit that halfway point where dances have to be done and clean and ready for the show, that’s when everyone’s anxiety is really up high,” Velez said. “People are a lot more real because our main goal is to have a great show at the end of the semester.”

Velez said although dance can be rigorous, dancers reaps rewards when the dances are finalized and presented at the concert.

“The whole semester is really all for that one show,” he said. “We have off-performances at different events, but what we really end up working for is that end-of-the-semester show.”