The Connecticut College Dance Club presented their 2015 spring show, Things We Like, in the Myers Dance Studio on Feb. 26-28. The show consisted of 12 student-choreographed pieces that ranged in style from modern to lyrical to tap-dance. The performance was broken up to two parts with 13 student choreographers.
Traditionally, senior Dance Club members do not dance in the spring show. As such, all dancers were first-years, sophomores and juniors. I saw the show on Saturday, and it was completely packed—audience members were seated on the stairs—and I understand why. This show was full of emotion, grace and artistic freedom. Each piece was engaging and through the dancers and the choreography, it was clear that so much practice, patience and dedication were put into the performance. Audience members were on the edge of their seats smiling and laughing at some moments and quietly observing at others.
Each piece in the show goes through an adjudication process at the beginning of the semester in which students and a faculty member select the pieces for the final performance. Dance Club presidents Amy Wasielewski ’17 and Erika Martin ’17 introduced Things We Like by telling the audience about Dance Club and the students that help to organize the show.
Inside the program, each choreographer wrote about what inspired him or her to create the piece, and, essentially, what it’s about. The inspirations ranged from exploring individuality to friendship, from reconciliation to finding a happy place, from childhood memories to love—there was even a dance inspired by Christmas.
“All of the pieces this semester were based on the things we like and love,” said Wasielewski. “Whether it is ABBA, friendship, Christmas, joy or something else inspired by the choreographer, we wanted a title that would encompass the individuality of each piece, so the show was a true celebration of dance and art.”
And that is exactly what the show felt like as an audience member—a celebration.
There was noticeable raw emotion in this show. A dance titled “You often help me remember who I am,” was described in the program as a dance about friendship, and that was so clear through the choreography and the dancers themselves. The back and forth between Sasha Peterson ’16 and Stephanie Reeves ’16 was full of tangible happiness, sadness, anger, shouting and tension—everything one experiences in a friendship. The two dancers leapt around the dance floor with wide, long motions, and then the music would stop and the dancing would be more tense and tight. At one point the two girls started yelling at each other. By the end of the piece, a single spotlight focused on a prolonged hug between Peterson and Reeves. Another very emotional, beautiful piece was “Give Your All To Me,” choreographed by Ashley Barattini ’17 and Brooke Ross ’17. This dance was much more lyrical, with sweeping movements. The piece was meant to tell a story about love, and that could be felt from both the dancers.
I was very drawn to not only the range in style and inspiration for the pieces in the show, but also the music. There were both lyrical and instrumental tracks used in the pieces. There were artists I recognized like The Rolling Stones, ABBA, Bibio, The Civil Wars, Beyonce and Mariah Carey, and many that I didn’t. Some pieces used more than one song, and some, like “You often help me remember who I am,” used one song broken up by silence. In Maia Draper-Reich ’16’s piece, titled “Summer Dance,” she danced to one song, and then music stopped while she continued to dance and spoke aloud to the audience, telling a story.
I was very excited with the inclusion of tap-dance in the show. It’s a style that I’ve never seen at the Dance Club shows I’ve been to in the past, and the tap-dancers were so engaging. The piece was titled “One Time,” and dancers Augie Sherman ’18 and Sarah Hyde ’18 smiled the entire time while tapping in unison and playing off of each other’s moves. It was an excellent addition to the show.
Throughout Things We Like, there was a tangible connection between each dance involved as well as between dancer and audience. This show provided a beautiful balance of song, dance and human connection that was truly a pleasure to be a part of. I always leave the Dance Club shows feeling inspired and excited, and this was especially true after this performance. •
