By Andrea Clarke
Elm Staff Writer
This past weekend, 29 Washington College dancers lit up the stage in Decker Theatre. In two acts, these girls explored eight varying genres of dance ranging from classical ballet to contemporary. The skill levels in the group are as equally diverse. While junior and choreographer Grace Swanson has danced for 18 years and is experienced in several different styles, freshman Rebecca Sussman had never danced prior to joining the group. This range of experience, however, is what makes the company so unique.
“Dance club is a really great group to be a part of and I can’t imagine my college experience without the people I met through dance. We’re all pretty close and definitely love to joke around,” said senior and Dance Club Treasurer Jenny Hobbs.
Sussman said, “I adore the company and I cannot wait for next year!”
This is club President Ally Happel’s last year with the company. As a graduating senior, last weekend’s recital was “extremely meaningful” and even more so since “every aspect of the concert from costuming and choreography to reaching and rehearsing is student taught and student run.”
Artistic Director Professor Karen Smith said, “There are some enormously creative and talented dancers, who have obviously shared their joy of movement, and in some cases their innermost thoughts and feelings, with the audience.”
Happel said that in last week alone, “members [put] in at least 25 hours each of rehearsal time . . . total, it is estimated that the average dancer has committed at least 200 hours this entire year to the concert.”
Indeed, Professor Smith is very impressed with the group’s dedication and added, “[the nine] choreographers spent much more time working in the studio than just the time spent teaching and polishing the dances. Several students did their share of organizational work, taking some of the burden off me, including helping with costumes, PR, program design, communication with the tech crew, etc.”
While the choreographers created an impressive show, Swanson said, “I would also love to see more people step up to teach the various classes instead of the same small group of us that choreograph each year.”
She also wants “more people to get involved with the program, both guys and girls.”
Hobbs agrees and encourages students of all experience levels “to give [the company] a try, because dancing is a lot of fun.”
It is also infectious. “I am always amazed by the number of people who come out to support us! Friday night alone we had over 300 people in attendance,” said Hobbs.
Freshman dancer Chelsea Garzione thinks “the recital went very well, everyone’s hard work and dedication [paid] off and we got the recognition we deserved.”
Indeed, freshman Harris Allgeier attended the Saturday recital and said, “They danced with incredible fluidity and unity.” Fellow freshman Kim Uslin agreed and felt it was “an interesting medley of styles of dance . . . there are some exceptional dancers.”
Of the seventeen showcased performances, freshman Kathryn Gilley liked “Halo” the best and said, “It was amazing.”
Junior Emily Hordesky choreographed and performed the lyrical piece in honor of her grandmother, Alba Hordesky, who passed away last summer.
Lyrical dance, a mixture of several techniques commonly set to music with vocals, is one of Hobbs’ favorite types of dance. Garzione favors hip-hop because “It gives me the freedom to move any way I want and takes a lot of control when it’s done correctly.” Her favorite performance in the recital was “United State of Pop [because] the choreography was a lot of fun and the mash up of songs such as Lady Gaga and ‘Single Ladies’ boosted my energy and excitement during the number.”
Hobbs said, “It’s so hard to choose [my favorite performance] because the styles of dance are so varied and each piece is unique. Plus, we spend a lot of time on each dance, and so by the time the concert rolls around, you’re pretty attached to them all.”
At the conclusion of the recital, Professor Smith announced that the National Dance Association has awarded senior dance club member Kelly Topita the 2011 National Student Literary Award for undergraduate writing after reading her paper The Historical Understanding of Dance in European Courts. “The paper is in print in the Feb. 2011 issue of the Nu Delta Alpha Journal, Vol III – the journal of the national dance honor society,” said Smith.
“I feel very privileged to be able to dance next to the most amazing and talented girls,” said sophomore Aubrey Hastings. “All the hard work we put in all year is worth it in that split moment we are all on stage; I am very proud of all that we accomplish in a year as a company.”
May 6, 2011
Volume LXXXI Issue 25