Spring Break
Only dance recital of semester to display student talents
Ashley Lauwereins
Issue date: 4/3/09 Section: News
After a semester of nailing down choreography and hours of rehearsal by student performers, the Student Dance Concert opens tonight at 8 p.m. in the UCA Dance Theater, the only show of the semester.
The two-day showcase features dancing and choreography created and run by students.
Michael Ferrara, a sixth-year dance major, said he, as well as other choreographers, have been working hard all semester to put the show together.
"The student concert really offers a great opportunity that usually doesn't exist," Ferrara said. "Students are able to explore their artistry and hone their choreograph skills and deliver that to an audience."
Grady Soapes, a senior dance major, said the show usually yields a large audience.
"This show is usually the best sold student show we have, mainly because there are so many different dancers and anybody can be in studio night," Soapes said.
A variety of dances will be performed, including modern contemporary, hip-hop, African, martial arts and experimental. Ferrara said some pieces are playful and meant for entertainment, while others set a story line and are meant to be portrayals, which he believes will contribute to the show's diversity.
Laura Siem, a senior dance major, said she choreographed her own modern lyrical piece for the show, exploring the idea of breaking away from a group and being your own individual person, while struggling with the thought of not having that group with you.
"The student dance is more versatile of all the dance concerts," Siem said. "Students are given the flexibility for choreographing anything. Some students will choreograph for a class, others will just do it for fun."
Mallory Hochwender, a sophomore liberal arts major and dancer, said the experience with this show differs with faculty shows because its unstructured format allows student to explore the movement and fellow dancers.
"The nice thing about the (University Center for the Arts) is that we can take everything within the performing arts and put it together," Soapes said. "This gives the dancers the opportunity to put more expression into their pieces."
The two-day showcase features dancing and choreography created and run by students.
Michael Ferrara, a sixth-year dance major, said he, as well as other choreographers, have been working hard all semester to put the show together.
"The student concert really offers a great opportunity that usually doesn't exist," Ferrara said. "Students are able to explore their artistry and hone their choreograph skills and deliver that to an audience."
Grady Soapes, a senior dance major, said the show usually yields a large audience.
"This show is usually the best sold student show we have, mainly because there are so many different dancers and anybody can be in studio night," Soapes said.
A variety of dances will be performed, including modern contemporary, hip-hop, African, martial arts and experimental. Ferrara said some pieces are playful and meant for entertainment, while others set a story line and are meant to be portrayals, which he believes will contribute to the show's diversity.
Laura Siem, a senior dance major, said she choreographed her own modern lyrical piece for the show, exploring the idea of breaking away from a group and being your own individual person, while struggling with the thought of not having that group with you.
"The student dance is more versatile of all the dance concerts," Siem said. "Students are given the flexibility for choreographing anything. Some students will choreograph for a class, others will just do it for fun."
Mallory Hochwender, a sophomore liberal arts major and dancer, said the experience with this show differs with faculty shows because its unstructured format allows student to explore the movement and fellow dancers.
"The nice thing about the (University Center for the Arts) is that we can take everything within the performing arts and put it together," Soapes said. "This gives the dancers the opportunity to put more expression into their pieces."
Be the first to comment on this story