Performers from the world of dance showcased their skills during “Spring Into Dance” on April 10 and 11 at the Moss Performing Arts Center (MPAC). Student choreographers and dancers brought enchanting music, varied genres of dance and 11 pieces to the stage in two acts.
Audiences flooded the MPAC minutes before showtime and quickly ran out of programs. The Dance Society offered concessions before the show where attendees could support the club’s future efforts.
The showcase opened with “Unfolding my Core to Give,” choreographed by Doran Kelsey in collaboration with dancers. The piece featured expansive movements and the serene accompanying tracks of “Lord” and “Abantu” by Siphamadia Arts Group. Six dancers took the stage for this initial performance, including senior dance major Maren Johnson.
“Other than my piece, I’d say I love Doran Kelsey’s. He’s doing his capstone and his piece, I just feel so badass doing it, for lack of better words. I don’t know, it’s just been a really cool process because everybody in that space are like really, really talented dancers, so we’ve been experimenting with so many different versions of the dance,” Johnson said.
Camden Adams and their dancers choreographed the second piece, titled “Limbo.” The group’s synchronized movements resembled flowing water, pulsating jellyfish and the arms of a throne.
Johnson emerged bathed in gold in the next performance, “A Bright Shadow,” choreographed by Cate Rankin. The other dancers, clad in shades of teal, abandoned Johnson and copied each other’s sinuous movements before exiting the stage. Johnson’s silhouette faced an empty wall as she raised her arms to the sky, concluding the performance.
Performers utilized modern techniques for the first three pieces of the showcase.
“There And” was the fourth piece choreographed by Molly Mitchell. It altered the tempo and introduced a bit of country flair with odes to cowboys. Dancers patted each other down, clapped to the beat of “Eatin’ Big Time” by Tyler Childers and became rivals in a stand-off of finger guns.
“I’d say the music and the movements all just tied together so well. It’s not like Western bar, but it kind of gives some sort of country vibe. But it’s not too much; I feel it’s really fun and different,” Johnson said about “There And.”
An audience member audibly hollered in excitement at the end of the performance.
“Weight of Time,” choreographed by Rebekah Boerrigter, featured sharp movements from the dancers synchronized to the ticking of “Dawn of Faith” by Eternal Eclipse. Performers circled one another like sharks and lunged in dark red lighting, which changed to a clear blue halfway through the performance. The original score flowed into “Stolen Memories” by Gabriel Saban.
The score of the final performance from act one, “The Anatomy of Air” choreographed by Bella Espizona, consisted of heavy breathing overlaid with “Shrine Tooth” by Forest Swords. The dancers crawled against the floor, flailing their legs in the air. They gripped their chests for life support when standing, weaving in and out of a swarm of bodies before returning to the ground.
“The dancers look incredible, and watching everything come together from the movement to the costumes to the lighting has been so cool to see,” freshman fitness and health promotion major Ila Steving said.
“Accumulations of Joy” and “It Comes In Threes” from act two grappled with the fear of buried feelings and the power of genuine expression. Two dancers swam in and out of each other’s careful touch in the first piece and three performers huddled in a circle during the second.
An ominous countdown from ten established the atmosphere of “The Psychology of Evil,” choreographed by Lauree Meiners. The dramatic song “The Grotto” by Audiomachine accompanied dancers in suits and hospital gowns against red lighting.
Dancers in hospital gowns used their shadows to dodge their counterpart’s movements as both groups chased each other. Stanley Zambardo’s Prison Experiment inspired the piece.
“I am honestly a huge fan of a piece with a song that is just a little creepy and with a unique concept, which I fortunately do get to perform in Lauree Meiners’ piece,” Steving said.
Johnston’s piece, “Echoes of Becoming,” shifted the genre of dance once more to a modern-jazz fusion. Two groups of three dancers let loose as the instrumentation soared with the bright hum of horns. The visuals glowed yellow and orange, with dancers exiting the stage while swinging their legs to the beat of “No One’s Watching Me” by Ezra Collective.
Performers in fishnets, skirts and black shirts swarmed the stage for the final piece: “Liberosis: Unlearning How To Be Soft,” choreographed by Taylor Schimek. This was early childhood education sophomore and dance minor Gracelynn Stone’s favorite piece.
“I think it’s my favorite because it’s super confident. It’s kind of, like, sexy; it’s just very different,” Stone said. “And it’s dancing that I haven’t gotten to do in a long time. And the costumes are super fun, the vibe is super fun. It’s really fun and empowering to perform.”
The dancers dropped their colorful skirts in a defiant gesture and the audience rose to celebrate the conclusion of another spring showcase.
