Preparing for a safe and enriching Wellness Week

The Missouri State Theatre and Dance Department is hosting their second annual Wellness Week October 12-16. With the safety of students in mind, Wellness Week will be offered mainly online, through the department’s Instagram and Facebook pages. The days will feature a topic or theme to be explored, with topics tentatively including: mental health, Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQIA+ community, body positivity and nutrition, stress management and self care, and healthy sexual relationships. Each day students will have access to an on-campus resource, an Instagram takeover with T&D Wrap featuring Missouri State students and faculty, an Instagram Live event with a special guest speaker, and giveaway prizes for Theatre and Dance students.

“Community and interpersonal interactions are very important especially when it comes to wellness. With technology we can foster this in different ways.” -Azaria Hogans

This year Wellness Week is being led and organized by Assistant Professor Azaria Hogans. She volunteered for the position after being inspired by last year’s Wellness Week and wanted to make sure the event was still a priority even with the transition to a COVID safe semester. She hopes that student involvement will be high this year and is eager to provide students with information and resources they can quickly access from their mobile devices.

Theatre and Dance is, and always has been, a tight-knit department that cares deeply about its students. Hogans has received help from several volunteers among her colleagues, and would like to thank Kathleen Hains, Jennifer Hard, Michelle Harvey, Anna Hunt, CJ Maples, Lisa Brescia, Mark Templeton, and the Theatre and Dance office for their contributions. Theatre and Dance staff hope to help their students make great work and thrive, both in the program and in life.