Author: Christina LeBlanc
On Friday March 21, and Saturday March 22, Occidental College hosted its annual dance production featuring 16 diverse, originally choreographed pieces. The dances consisted entirely of student performers who auditioned earlier in the year. The performance was open to anyone, with a spot guaranteed to anyone who auditioned. The styles varied from hip-hop to lyrical, with many dances combining different genres, contributing to the variety of the show.
Occidental doesn’t have a dance major or minor, so for many students, dance production is the chance to follow an interest which cannot be pursued academically. This is one of the main benefits of dance production in the eyes of dancer Natalie Crolius (sophomore), who said, “Oxy offers an outlet for people outside the dance team and classes who aren’t really experienced.” The show allows anyone with an interest in dance to perform.
The show opened with a Hawaiian dance piece choreographed by Mara Hosada (junior) and Evan Nakatsuka (junior) entitled “Ia Orana ‘Outou.” This piece was followed by a performance choreographed by Lara Bache (sophomore) entitled “Orlean Dream,” set to “Water” by Aesop Rock and was inspired by her trip to New Orleans over Winter Break with the Disaster Politics course. Bache said that “everyone was crawling around, struggling, with moments of liberation and expression, only to be pulled back down into a collective struggle,” reflecting on her experience in New Orleans. The end of the dance “represented spirits rising together, sometimes it was just water, sometimes it was people struggling to find light and beauty in darkness. That part really came out of New Orleans,” said Bache.
The third dance was a hip-hop piece called “Hard to Get” and was choreographed by Deonsha Dawson (first-year) and Ana Vasquez (first-year) to music by Timbaland and Neyo. The piece opened with a stepping sequence and then introduced music into the routine.
Crolius, a Diplomacy and World Affairs major and a performer in “Love Song” choreographed by Shannon Sullivan (senior), felt that “the crowd response was perfect, especially Friday night when the audience was full and it was mostly students.” She said that the Oxy community “just really has a positive energy and everybody is clearly supportive, you’re pretty sure that they’ll forgive minor mistakes.” The turnout, as Crolius mentioned, was strong, with people being turned away at the door on Friday because Thorne Hall was completely full. The audience consisted of mainly students, but many parents and community members also attended.
Other pieces included a traditional Mexican Folkloric Dance choreographed by Samantha Figueroa (sophomore) which featured traditional music and costumes and was a crowd pleaser. “Just Another Epiphany” by Rachel Deitch (sophomore) displayed a variety of styles and music, combining Timbaland’s popular “Apologize” with the lesser known, and significantly louder music of Hot Hot Heat and “Shipping up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphy’s.
“Ihsas Jameela,” choreographed by Sammy Suboh (sophomore) and Renoa Batista (first-year), was inspired by the traditional art of belly dancing and featured music by Ruby and Tamer Hosny, while Vasquez, who choreographed “Latin Fire” used music by popular Reaggaton artists such as Pitbull and Don Omar. The pieces all showcased different styles and influences of dance, making the production appealing to a wide array of audience members.
The dance production had overwhelming crowds, and both Crolius and Bache felt positive about the event. “There was so much nervousness in the days leading up to the show” Crolius said, “but when it actually happened, everybody’s adrenaline kicked in and it came together.” “Soon we all will be having Dance Production withdrawals,” Bache said, “[I] would encourage anyone and everyone to try out next year, whether or not you think you can dance. Think about it.”
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
