Orchesis Dance Company

Orchesis offers its dancers lessons in performance quality, education in technique, and a chance for artistic growth.

In the early twentieth century, the idea of women studying the art of dance or participating freely in an artistic experience was not widely accepted.

She wanted to give the dancers on campus a chance to perform and eventually founded the "Orchesis Dance Club" in 1918.

Auditions occur during the first week of Fall Quarter in the Moon Ja Minn Suhr Dance Studio (located by Crandall Gymnasium)[1] Preparatory workshops are held that Tuesday and Wednesday, and the directors teach auditioning dancers a modern, jazz, and ballet combination.

A panel of dance faculty from Cal Poly and the student interns watch groups of three perform these combinations.

Although Orchesis is an ASI Club, it is also known as an academic organization because it is funded through the Instructionally Related Activities for the Theatre and Dance Department at Cal Poly.

Guest Artists Dennon and Sayhber Rawles, Davis Robertson, whose choreography was featured in Robert Altman’s film The Company, has set modern ballet pieces for Orchesis members.