Senior Spotlight: Margaret Hruschka

Margaret Hruschka is undoubtedly one of the most passionate members of Prelude, something she demonstrates (and has demonstrated over her four years of membership) in all she does as our Chief Officer, as a choreographer (she’s choreographed twelve pieces for Prelude over the years), as a performer, and last but certainly not least, as a supportive and encouraging member of the Prelude family. Margaret became a part of that family in the fall of 2010, her first semester of freshman year. Having enjoyed dancing in middle school and high school, she was looking for a way to get involved in dance on campus while meeting new people. Luckily for us, Margaret saw an ad for auditions hanging up in Myers, and she got both of the things she was looking for: an opportunity to dance, as well as a group of people who would become some of her closest friends in college. Here’s what she had to say about it all:

Prelude Dance Ensemble: What was your dance experience like before joining Prelude?

Margaret Hruschka: I did baby ballet and tap when I was 4 and then danced a few times a week during middle school and early high school (ballet, tap, jazz, pointe).

PDE: Has Prelude helped you grow in your technique, confidence onstage, choreographic creativity, etc?

MH: Yes, undoubtedly. The difference in my dance ability between now and freshman year is astounding. Will and I discuss this and we’re both impressed with ourselves and how much we’ve grown. Before Prelude, I had only dreamed of creating a piece to the song “So She Dances” by Josh Groban. Through Prelude I not only did so but also 11 other pieces that are vastly different.

Performing "Dust," Fall 2013

PDE: Like you said, you’ve choreographed all sorts of dances: jazz, contemporary, pointe, belly dance…What motivates you to choreograph in a particular genre?

MH: I don’t have much background in any one style. I have a small amount of knowledge about a lot of styles and thus I choreograph dances that are more varied than what Prelude generally has. I want to dance in those styles and in order to make something happen you often have to do it yourself!

PDE: How did you get involved in so many different genres?

MH: I’m just random. I had basic training in the more traditional dance styles before college [ballet, jazz] but when I got here I started exploring every dance event I could. Ballroom Dance Club, Athens Swing Night, and Ramsey Bellydance allowed me to learn completely new styles in the short time I’ve been here. 

PDE: So what typically inspires the choreography itself?

MH: I like to experiment with the new styles I’ve learned. I find a song or have a style in mind and create pieces that I would want to perform. My pieces are generally very character-based and less emotional except for two. “In Memory” and “Oblivion” are extremely emotional; the first was dedicated to my late grandparents and the second about graduation and the bonds we have from Prelude. I was able to create those pieces because of the contemporary pieces I learned through Prelude. [Note: you’ll have to come to our show on April 13 to see “Oblivion.”]

PDE: Can you talk a little about your choreographic process? You often choreograph larger group pieces, so how do you visualize formations and the movement of formations working with those big groups?

MH: Well, I write everything down. And I watch a lot of dance videos. I tend towards large movements that take up a lot of the stage and I want people to change positions a good deal. In order to make it not look like a mess I end up making fairly complicated charts/diagrams/powerpoints so that I get everyone where I need them. I’m not sure if I visualize them particularly well; instead, I just choreograph dances that have lots of people that need lots of arranging.

Performing "Right Here, Right Now," Fall 2013 

PDE: What is your favorite dance that you’ve choreographed?

MH: “In Memory” or “Right Here, Right Now [Party]” or “Trust In Me” or “Show Me.” 

PDE: What’re your top 3 favorite dances you’ve done with Prelude?

MH: “Candyman,”  “For No One,” and “Harder to Breathe.”

PDE: What’re your top 3 favorite Prelude dances (that you haven’t necessarily been in)?

MH: “New School vs. Old School Hip Hop,” “These Arms of Mine,” “Give Me Love,” “Every Time You Go,” “Falling,” and “A Little Bit” (this is hard). [Note: again, you’ll have to come to our show to see “Give Me Love” and “Falling.”]

PDE: What’s your favorite dance performance that you’ve seen while at UGA?

MH: Prelude’s Fall 2012 show! Outside of Prelude—Canopy’s performances are always stunning and the DanceFX Company Holiday Concert inspired me tremendously.

PDE: What are some of your favorite Prelude memories?

MH; Aerofit, street-painting, pool parties, random warm-ups, getting new lifts, getting together to choreograph in Ramsey and just fooling around until the dance works itself out. I spend so much time with Prelude people and it’s all great. Prelude has created many of my best college memories, even when we’re all exhausted.

Rehearsing "The Show Must Go On" with Chris Wages, Spring 2011 

PDE: What have been the greatest difficulties or challenges of being an officer?

MH: Getting people to read/respond to emails. Getting people in one place to rehearse outside of practice. As college students we’re all very busy and those small challenges are really the most difficult. The rest of it just falls in place because everyone is willing to put in the effort to make Prelude great.

PDE: The greatest rewards?

MH: I love seeing us get a tricky bit of choreography or an individual mastering a double turn that they’ve been working on forever. It’s always a delight when new members choreograph for the first time and seeing the new ideas and ways to challenge us that they each bring to Prelude is awesome.

PDE: What advice do you have for future officers?

MH: Think ahead. Write everything down. Use time creatively. Most of all, truly enjoy Prelude and the people in it. We’re able to do amazing things and we’ve become a known entity on campus—our dancers are beautiful and our choreography is stunning. It’s such an awesome thing to do the background work to make Prelude happen, so enjoy it.

PDE: What’s your proudest accomplishment in Prelude?

MH: I don’t know! I would say that being able to involve Prelude in the dance community with things like the Children First benefit, CHROMA fundraiser, Dance Athens, and Raise Your Hand has been really exciting.  

Warming up for Dance Athens, Fall 2013

PDE: What do you think Prelude contributes to UGA as a whole?

MH: With its members and alumni, I think it’s a great place to continue dancing, improve, try new things, and be utterly supported while you struggle. It’s a community and we help each other with so many things, inside and outside of dance. Additionally, Prelude has become a known entity at UGA and in the Athens community, which is pretty incredible for a 5-year old organization. We volunteer with various charities and have partnerships with organizations that allow us to present our shows for free to the public. I think we try to encourage everyone to dance no matter their previous training and that’s really unusual.

PDE: Prelude is 5-years old, and you’ve been a part of it for 4 of those years. What has it been like to see so many people come and go through Prelude and see it evolve over time?

MH: I miss so many people. And I’m going to miss so many more. It’s sad to watch people graduate and know that I won’t be dancing with them anymore. But getting to meet all the new people and have everyone become part of Prelude is wonderful and I love you all. Each semester they group dynamic changes dramatically but we remain a community of interesting people who are joined by a common interest in dancing.

PDE: How do you feel about this being your last Prelude show?

MH: Awful. I’m proud of everyone and I can’t believe we’re here but I’m just not going to think about that now. I’m sure I’ll be crying my makeup off by the end of the show (hopefully not the beginning).

PDE: What will you miss most about Prelude?

MH: I’m going to miss my Monday and Wednesday nights. Being able to dance and learn with people has been awesome and I don’t know what I’ll do without it. Prelude has meant so much to me for these four years and has been such a space to develop and grow within a supportive group. It’s going to be a shock to leave something that has become so integral to my daily life.

Photoshoot for the Spring 2013 show, "Lost and Found"

After graduating in May with a Masters in Public Administration, an AB in Linguistics, and minors in Spanish and Arabic, Margaret plans on working abroad in nonprofit organizations, through AIESEC and then individually. Long-term, she would like to run nonprofits in the US. She plans on continuing dancing in some way, shape, or form!

Thank you for all your years of hard work and dedication, Margaret. Break a leg come April 13!

Be sure to see Margaret and the rest of our seniors in their last show, “Compass,”  

April 13 at the East Athens Educational Dance Center.