Courtesy of Sean Elliot
Between Nov. 8 and 9, the Connecticut College Dance Club performed their fall show, “Structural Noise,” to sold-out crowds at the Myers Dance Studio in the College Center at Crozier-Williams.
The show’s name was inspired by feedback from adjudication board members. “During a feedback showing, one of our adjudication board members said that there was a lot of reflection and mirroring present throughout the show,” said Dance Club Co-President Bridgette Silva ‘27. “From the word reflections, we ended up with the word backscattering, defined as “the phenomenon of reflected waves in the field of ultrasonic inspection, also known as “structural noise”…When Dani read the definition out loud, we all gasped and knew we had our show name. To us, it represents reflections of one another, support, and community.”
In total, Dance Club held three shows, each with a different show order and dances performed. Each show consisted of 13 or 14 of the 20 separately choreographed pieces with an intermission following Act I.
Courtesy of Sean Elliot
The process of making the show order was complicated, with the presidents taking into account a variety of factors. “In making the show order, we wanted the audience to stay engaged but also wanted to ensure that dancers would have enough time in between pieces to change costumes and take care of themselves before dancing again. We wanted the order to showcase different styles and for each section to have different energy levels while giving the dancers time in between,” shared Silva.
The wide variety of genres and styles was a result of the large number of dancers from a variety of different styles and expressions of dance. 24 different students choreographed the 20 pieces, with some choreographed by collaborating students.
The show’s production was boosted through collaboration with CC Production Club. “Everyone from CC Production is so talented, and the show truly could not have run without them…Dance Club member and former president Ethan Chin ‘25 runs CC Production, so having his mentorship in both Dance Club and CC Production is incredible,” said Silva.
Saturday’s matinee began with “to fight it all, I will face it all,” choreographed by Corinne Robbins ‘25. Danced by Dani Crosta ‘27, Lexie Dixon ‘27, Gracie Donabella-Pedlow ‘27, Elise Gottlieb ‘28, Morgan Hann ‘28, Maya Katsovich ‘28, Rhea Mallery ‘27, Gray Ruffer ‘26, and Lucy Tretter ‘25 to the tune of “Down to the River” by Brown Bird, the piece featured vibrant dancing with multiple individual solos against the beautiful lighting design of light pink and red hues by Bella Donatelli ‘25. “Dance and music are one,” said Robbins, describing the inspiration of her piece, “so my goal for this piece was to bring the music to life on stage.”
In contrast to the previous dance, “For Manager Ann” —choreographed and danced by Liam Kohler ‘25—provided a completely different style of dance. With nothing but a black suit, tie, and Irish dancing shoes, Kohler began his performance to a silent stage and rambunctious cheers of encouragement from the audience as they danced. Once the music started, Kohler continued to bring cheers from the audience with his Irish dancing and impressively high leg kicks set to the tune of “Johnny McAldoo” by the Clancy Brothers.
Following Kohler’s performance, “s e a o f l o v e,” choreographed by Elyse D’Amato ‘26, began to the sound of a ringing phone. Annabelle Breton ‘25, Taylor Cooper ‘27, Nell Hamilton ‘26, Claire Mental ‘26, Heide Reeh ‘27, Ruffer, Bridgette Silva ‘27, and Sam Walker ‘26 were impressive; evoking the imagery of flowing of water and rising and falling tides to the tune “Sea of Love” by Cat Power. The beautiful lighting design of different hues of blue designed by Eli Koppi ‘28 added to the imagery as dancers danced freely to the music. In performance notes from the program, D’Amato claimed their inspiration was to give a “gentle reminder that love and movement connect all of us, as we live in the sea of love.”
Courtesy of Sean Elliot
“Weepy Woman,” choreographed by Mental and danced by D’Amato, Dixion, Ariel Mayer ‘26, Sierra Mayoral ‘26, Nikeya Tankard ‘27, and Morganne Young ‘28 followed. As the dancers energetically moved to the tune of “Weepy Woman” by flipturn, they reflected confusion, anger, hurt, and a string of many feelings.
Following Mental’s dance, “glass house” choreographed by Donatelli inspired a sense of mystery and tension. Set to the song “Life in a Glasshouse” by Radiohead and danced by the trio of Ava Dobro ‘26, Sophie Poissant ‘26, and Tretter, all three brought a sense of conflict and struggle as they mysteriously danced to the jazzy tune. In performance notes from the program, Donatelli stated that their work aimed “to explore individuality and self within a culture that thrives off stereotypes.” The dance performed is an excerpt from their honors thesis, which will “explore female narratives in various mythologies and the subtle roles they play in modern social expectations of women.”
“The Music Never Dies” was choreographed by Aaliyah Jorden ‘27, danced in hip hop style, and featured a variety of different formations danced by Breton, Eliaris Brito Castillo ‘25, Crosta, Donatelli, Jasleen Espinal ‘25, Jasmine Espinal ‘25, Madison Grover ‘28, Jorden, Haley Lowenthal ‘25, Mayer, Melisa Sierra ‘26, Jessica Solit ‘28, and Andrew Solomon ‘27 to the songs “Watch How Mi Dweet” and “Iene” by Giulia Tess. While much of the piece was performed with performers in linear and triangular formations, later on, dancers moved in a circular shape. Different dancers looked into the circle while performing soloists danced, a symbol of hip hop’s communal and collaborative roots.
After a 15 minute intermission, the dancing returned with “butter,” choreographed by Ethan Chin ‘25. The piece was danced by Emery Amtmann ‘25, Liliana Bent ‘28, Tessa Bielak ‘28, Maddie Caulfield ‘28, Max Cragin ‘28, Tess Gunning ‘27, Hamilton, Megan Keating ‘28, Caroline Lawton ‘25, Sydney Michaud ‘27, Juliet Peters ‘28, Chloe Schlesselman ‘26, and Allison Ziegler ‘27 to the tune of “Pump it Up” by Endor. A beatbox was brought out to really bring the noise to the audience as sounds above 85 dBA reverberated inside. Strobe lighting was also included to provide greater visual stimulation for the audience.
“Let Me Down Easy,” the only piece choreographed by first year students, followed next. The piece was created by Shira Aroiaraj ‘28 and Biz Carlin ‘28 to the tune of “Let Me Down Easy” by Daisy Jones & The Six and danced by Scarlett Adler ‘28, D’Amato, Nancy Pham ‘25, Ruffer, Split, and Marika Stellwagen ‘28. Arokiaraj and Carlin state in their performance notes that the piece is “about the idea of gaining independence from a loss” as they tell the story of people in their dance getting laid off and coming to realizations about each other.
In “(excerpts from) queer life cycles,” choreographed by Mayer and performed by Sofia Blossom ‘28, Biz Carlin ‘28, Cragin, Tallulah Ghantous ‘27, and Tori Rich ‘28 to the tune of a cello played by Jesse Perryman ‘26, a narrative of social equity was evoked as performers danced and screamed during the performance featuring a monologue written by Sitara Takyar ‘25.
“alright!” was choreographed by Schlesselman and Silva to the tune of “Float On” by Modest Mouse. Dancers Bent, Wagner, Cooper, Lily Bailen ‘27, Ava Mormile ‘28, Lowenthal, Kiera Franciskovich ‘26, Siden, Annabel Zuba ‘28, Grace Webb ‘27, Mental, Michaud, Marina Duverlie ‘28, Stella Ridolfi ‘27, D’Amato, and Ruffer were all dressed in 80s costumes and danced energetically to the upbeat indie rock guitar tune.
“Mythos,” choreographed by Panagiota Tsiali ‘25, featured dancers Emily Baker ‘25, Hannah DelGrego ‘26, Meyer, Juliet Peters ‘28, Pham, and Tsiali. Tsiali found a lot of their inspiration for the performance from Greek musician Marina Satti’s “Yenna” album. Yenna means birth in Greek and “Mythos” “embodies an unquenchable desire to explore…bridging tradition and transformation,” according to Tsiali in their program notes.
Courtesy of Sean Elliot
In “When You Go,” choreographed by Annika Hoag ‘26, dancers dressed in all black and danced to the indie rock hit “I Don’t Love You” by My Chemical Romance. The piece was danced by Faith HidenFelter ‘28, Muchaud, Ava Tyszkowski ‘27, and Ziegler. Hidenfelter had an impressive solo during the performance with a high extension that drew plenty of applause from the audience.
In the last performance of the show, a ensemble of dancers Bailen, Breton, Chin, Cooper, Crosta, Jordan, Mallery, Reeh, Ruffer, Solomon, Tankard, Tretter, and Walker performed “2 punks walked into a bar,” choreographed by Dobro, Mayoral, and Poissant. This performance featured plenty of different formations and detailed patterns. All dancers were dressed in Adidas shorts and brought a happy and upbeat feeling to cap off the show as they danced to “Television Rules the Nation / Crescendolls” by Daft Punk.
Of performances not shown at the matinee, “Community Challenge” —choreographed by club presidents Crosta, Silva, and Wagner—stood out as an inclusive piece for a large ensemble of beginner dancers who were new to dancing. “gravity, time, weightless,” choreographed by Crosta, closed off the Sunday show with a large ensemble of dancers dancing to “I’m Fallin” by RYX. Crosta hoped that this piece would symbolize the sense of community they have found in the dance club. “I’ve been so fortunate to have the space to further explore my passion for hip hop at Conn as I expand my interests in modern dance styles,” said Crosta. “I feel like this piece encapsulates everything I love about dance because I’ve been able to pull from all of the experiences that have been so valuable to me, especially regarding the people that I have been able to collaborate with.”
Through a countless number of hours preparing for the show and an inclusive space for a mix of first time dancers and veterans to explore and engage with a variety of dance styles, the Dance Club showcased strength in a wide repertoire of dance styles.
For those interested in getting involved with Dance Club, there are a variety of ways to get moving. “We offer many different classes throughout the year ranging from somatics/meditation, ballet, hip hop, jazz, and modern/contemporary,” said Silva. “Anyone can come and take class, and we encourage all to do so!” Information on classes is posted on the club’s Instagram page @conncolldanceclub or emailed out to their list.
