An Honest Review of Conn Coll Dance Club Performances by a 13-Year-Old Critic

As the younger sibling of two pre-professional dancers, I’ve attended lots of dance performances, both good and bad. I was excited to see Conn Coll Dance Club perform for the first time this weekend, and I have some thoughts.

For the past two months, the Dance Club has been swamped in work and sweat preparing for their “Unwind” showcase. On Friday and Saturday, club members performed their own choreographies and frankly, it was really good. The talent in these dancers was evident through the depth of the pieces and their deeper meaning. 

After speaking with my colleagues at The College Voice, the overall fan-favorite was “Smile for Me” choreographed by Catja Christensen ‘23, who is also the Co-Editor-in-Chief (and, full disclosure, is my sister). The whole underlying message was on the overturn of Roe v. Wade and how these women are portrayed as the stereotypical “1950’s housewives.” Suddenly, the facade breaks, and their aprons come off to reveal their unpolished emotions and frustration Her message was clear and to the point. After watching her piece a second time, I told her honestly that I really loved it. I thought there was definitely room for improvement such as more energized dancers, more thought to the transitions, and what message she is trying to tell the audience, but I think the choice of music was excellent. 

“Desperado,” choreographed by Ava Dobro ‘26, was another fan-favorite. As the title says, the music that the group of four danced to was, in fact, “Desperado” by Rihanna. This was another favorite between me and my associates. They really enjoyed the red colors and the clean, synchronized movements. On the other hand, I believe that music can do a lot for a piece, and in my opinion, I thought it was a bit “TikTok-y.” The choreography itself was very good, very clean, and very precise. Perhaps the overuse of the popular song has tainted my feelings, but that was my only criticism. 

I thought that “Transient Apertures,” choreographed by Alyssa Bodmer ‘23, was an enjoyable piece that matched well with the music. It provided a peaceful atmosphere to contrast with some of the others dances, but I did find that a lot of us thought that it was not as easy to understand. I noticed a lot of repetition and emphasis on smaller movements, but the flow did not seem to match the description in the program. I do like the idea of seeing what it feels like to be in a bubble, but it would have been nice to see more of a connection between this and the dance. 

“did you see her?,” choreographed by Zion Martin-Hayes ‘23, used blue and pink lights to highlight the dancers dressed in black hoodies. I liked the use of colors to add a fun layer to the individuality of the movements. I did notice that it felt that we were watching people dance as opposed to being brought into the story, but after reading the description of the piece I definitely think it matched the party dance theme. My biggest critique of this piece was actually the screaming coming from the audience and fellow dancers. I was sitting in the back row of the audience and while I definitely get supporting the work of your friends, the screaming was a little too much for me and it almost took away from what I liked about the dance. 

In contrast, the vibe of “All the Homies on a Sunday Afternoon” choreographed by Yeseri Rosa Vizcaino ‘23 definitely incorporated the screaming of fans into the vibe of the piece as a whole. The music and the high energy dancers provided a freshness that was both interesting and engaging for the audience. Although the screaming was a lot for this piece as well, it did make me feel the sense of community that was talked about in the piece’s program description.

At the end of the show, I did have a conversation with my mom and colleagues about performance etiquette. My mom is used to watching classical ballet dance performances and she did not love the constant screaming. She was confused at the screaming before the piece even started, and she also felt bad for the dancers and pieces who were not getting any screaming appreciation. After talking to my colleagues who were used to this behavior at Dance Club shows, they were all understanding of the screaming for friends but also felt bad for the left out dancers. 

Since this was my first time attending a Dance Club performance, I don’t know what the vibe is for the shows and can’t say too much about it. However, I can say that these dancers really put their heart into all of these pieces and it was really fun to see the show.