Both a dance performance and one of the first student-run dance groups at Carleton, Synchrony II’s forebear Ebony II was a dance troupe of Black students founded by Debra McCray, who first performed as part of Black History Month in 1973 (Synchrony II 2016). Over the following decades, Ebony II expanded its scope and membership, even holding concerts to raise money for local charities (Bruell 2019). Its 1989 director Ann Watanabe ’90 described Ebony II as “one of the most diverse [campus groups and open to] anyone regardless of race, gender, body build, experience or ability” (Watanabe, cited in Bruell 2019).
As Emily Bruell ’19 noted in a Carletonian editorial, “the charity aspect of the dance seems to have faded” since the 1990s, and the group “changed its name to Synchrony II in acknowledgement of the changes [it had] undergone” (Bruell 2019), but Synchrony II remains wildly popular. The performance occurs every term (usually forth week) and includes more than 100 dancers of all skill levels performing routines created by student choreographers.
Sources:
Image: Unknown Creator. “Synchrony II Fall 2016.” 2016. Carleton College Website. https://www.carleton.edu/news/stories/synchrony-ii-fall-2016-show/. Accessed March 3rd, 2021.
Information:
Bruell, Emily. “We need to talk about Synchrony II: Viewpoint.” The Carletonian, October 25, 2019. Accessed March 13, 2021. https://thecarletonian.com/2019/10/25/we-need-to-talk-about-synchrony-ii-viewpoint/
“Carleton Traditions | Student Activities | Carleton College.” n.d. Accessed March 3, 2021. https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/campact/traditions/.
“Synchrony II – Fall 2016 Show.” Carleton College Website, November 4, 2016. Accessed March 13, 2021. https://www.carleton.edu/news/stories/synchrony-ii-fall-2016-show/
