As part of an experimental story, The News asked Northeastern University Dance Company (NUDANCO) president, senior communications major Bernie Reeder, to log the daily events of her life. Despite the crazy schedules and clubs and jobs, it turns out she’s your average NU student – give or take a few hours of sleep.
Sunday. Nov. 28:
10 a.m. – Heading back to Boston after spending Thanksgiving with family in my hometown of Bangor, Maine. My boyfriend is driving and I’m under strict orders to not change the iTunes playlist.
5 p.m. – What? I have to do everything I put off for the past five days? Nooooo! First order of business is my overflowing e-mail inbox and making sure all of our dancers know the details of next week’s call times, dress rehearsals and, of course, cast party.
8 p.m. – The Internet dies. For three hours. Thanks for nothing, Comcast. Luckily, I was about to take a coffee break anyway, so I head on over to Starbucks with a friend. Brain break.
10 p.m. – Just getting to my homework that is due tonight. Time to quickly figure out just what I really know about the career and legacy of Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Midnight – Homework is finished. I’m beat. Time for bed.
Monday, Nov. 29:
6 a.m. – Wake up and start working. I’m a PR coordinator at Forrester Research, an independent research company, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then switch back to being a NU student on Tuesdays and Fridays. This morning I start the day off revising an article, originally written by one of Forrester’s analysts.
10 a.m. – It looks like rain, I have no clean laundry and I have a meeting on campus at 4 p.m. Yep, it’s definitely a Sweatpants Day.
Noon – My boyfriend is just rolling out of bed. Not fair.
3 p.m. – First Starbucks run of the day. Call my mom and talk to her as I walk over to Huntington Avenue.
5 p.m. – Time to switch into NUDANCO mode. I still have to write my President’s Letter for our programs … and I’ve been promising to have it handed in for the past week. Whoops.
6 p.m. – Listening to OK GO while banging out agenda items for our next NUDANCO e-board meeting.
6:01 p.m. – Getting sidetracked watching OK GO videos on YouTube while trying to focus on agenda items.
9 p.m. – Second Starbucks run, only this time its for a NUDANCO e-board meeting. We discuss advertising for the upcoming show, elections for next year, our cast party, company finances and show day logistics. Not surprisingly, we are kicked out of the place at 10 p.m. because we’re STILL not finished discussing everything that needs to be done.
10:15 p.m. – Head on over to Sketchy Subway with NUDANCO treasurer, Shannon Brown, and event coordinator, Sam Dwyer, to pick up a sandwich for dinner. Sketchy Subway is the one that used to have bullet proof glass at the Massachusetts Avenue Orange Line stop.
Tuesday, Nov. 30:
2 a.m. – Finally finish a paper that’s due tomorrow and pass out.
7 a.m. – I’m awake and prepping for my presentation.
7:30 a.m. – Correction, I’m on the couch and napping.
7:50 a.m. – Back awake – and going to be late for my first class. I run over to Dodge Hall and sneak into the back of crisis communications at 8:05.
3 p.m. – I start preparing for my dance rehearsal. The ending still needs to be choreographed and the show is in less than two weeks.
6 p.m. – I finish choreographing just in time for rehearsal and head over to the studio. My dancers are there already, reviewing the entire piece. Unfortunately, the door to the stereo is locked when I get there, so we review sans music for a while. Two requests for assistance later, and someone from Curry finally comes in to help us.
7 p.m. – My rehearsal’s over, now moving on to rehearsal for our vice president, Katie Fulton. It’s the first piece in the show, so we’re all pretty focused on making everything polished and good to go.
8 p.m. – Over to Whole Foods to pick up dinner and then back home. Tonight’s agenda: “Dexter,” a glass of wine and trying to make my boyfriend give up the remote. I’m only human.
Photos from an NUDANCO practice.
NUDANCO hosts its Eighth Annual Winter Showcase Saturday, Dec. 11. The performance features 11 student-choreographed works and incorporates all different styles of dance, from jazz to lyrical to hip-hop. There are performances at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are free with an NU ID and $12 for general admission. They can be purchased at the ticket counter in Ell Hall, through the myTickets tab on myNEU or at tickets.neu.edu.
