In May, Dance Alliance and Collegiate Singers will separately tour South America to share their testimonies through song and dance.

Dance Alliance, consisting of the Ballroom Dance Company, World Dance and Contemporary Dance Theatre, will perform one-hour shows throughout Ecuador and Peru.

“The first city we perform in is Quito, the last is Lima,” said Bradley Rhoton, a senior from Lock Haven, Pa. “We will perform in four cities in each country.”

The performances will be free and act as part of the missionary effort with South American members and missionaries.

“Local members will bring their friends,” Rhoton said. “Everyone is really excited; I hear there is a constant buzz about our coming to perform. It will be an avenue to proclaim the gospel in a good environment that is conducive to the Spirit.”

The tour will be different from previous years because the students will stay in hotels instead of members’ homes. For Sarah Mortimer, a senior from Antioch, Calif., her favorite experiences have been staying with host families.

“We didn’t speak much Spanish and they didn’t speak English,” Mortimer said. “One year, the family took us out to dinner and then we went out to dance. It was so much fun to be out in the culture.”

Mortimer said it will be very different, but she will still love to see the culture.

“I am more prepared this year,” Mortimer said. “I hope to be able to make a difference in their lives. I want to touch those who come to feel the gospel and want to know more.”

Collegiate Singers, on the other hand, will spend the first 24 days of May touring Brazil.

“Our concert program consists of music from Africa and North and South America,” said Kevin Brower, Collegiate Singers director.

Brower hopes to share the gospel and build bridges of understanding and friendship.

“One of the academic missions of Collegiate Singers is to experience cultural diversity through the transcending language of music,” Brower said. “We will be performing a concert almost every night.”

Whether the groups use song or dance to share the gospel, all agree they are excited to go.

“It is a once in a lifetime experience,” Rhoton said. “The people we meet, the people we go with, are the reason we are going. It is honestly a once in a lifetime experience.”