From auditions, to rehearsals, to extra rehearsals, and dress and tech (don’t forget the makeup), my undergraduate dance career all came to a finish this past weekend at the Spring Dance Concert. Dancing in the Bryn Mawr Dance Program has been an integral part of my college experience, and I will never forget the technique, artistry, and professionalism I learned from the many choreographers and teachers I have been honored to work with.
Knowing that this was my last opportunity to dance in college, I overloaded on ensembles and dance commitments this semester. I danced in a total of 3 ensembles: Jazz, African, and Hip Hop, and 1 modern piece for my friend Joy’s thesis. (And this does not even include the studio hours I put in for non-departmental dance things like Choom Boom and Fall Student Dance Concert!) This is the most I have ever danced. My first year, I did African ensemble, my second year it was Hip Hop, and my third year was Jazz and Hip Hop. This time, I was in over half of the entire show (4 out of the 7 pieces total.) In hindsight, I don’t think I’ll regret the decision to work myself this crazy, but in the moment, I’m a little stressed about how I’ve been managing my dance with my academics (please don’t tell my parents). Just keeping pushing through!
When I was not dancing, I did have a chance to watch the other ensembles like ballet and modern from the stage wings or from the house during dress and tech rehearsal. I really liked the last modern piece by Megan Mazarick because it was both theatrically funny and dramatic. The other modern piece by Mady Cantor involved chairs as props. And the ballet ensemble by Meredith Rainey had all sorts of props like clay paint, water, and floating flower petals. Overall, I think the show theme skewed modern and experimental, more so than previous years.
The week leading up to the concert is usually the busiest week of the semester. Not only is it the second to last week of classes where assignments are due, but things like lighting design and last minute costume adjustments must be made. In total, I spent about 18 hours in Goodhart that week! I guess you could say I got a good workout. It is one thing to dance in the studio, and a totally different experience doing it on stage in makeup and costume. If you are in back to back pieces like I was, your dance mates are the ones helping you quick change or bringing you water/makeup remover. It’s actually times like these where you realize how close you’ve become to your fellow dance mates.
The show ran smoothly for both nights, and quite a few people came out to watch despite the rain on Saturday night. My roommates, friends, and parents all came to watch – even my professor (Peter Brodfuehrer – Biology) and his wife came to support me! Thank you to Linda Caruso Haviland and Madeline Cantor for directing such an awesome dance program, to all the choreographers I got to work with (Shannon Murphy, Kyle JustSole Clark, Nia Eubanks Dixon, JoyAngelica Chan), the stage and tech crew, the musicians, costume designer Jennifer Gherladini, my fellow dancers I was able to share the stage with, and everyone who came to the show!!! I will definitely miss being a part of dance at Bryn Mawr. Dancing makes me happy, so I shouldn’t stop after graduation!
Photos of the show to come shortly. As will a DVD of the show mailed to each dancer’s mailbox.
My four pieces have been recorded and uploaded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9tcCeuQoreYVVZMSGUtOVNWcE0/view?invite=COje6SQ&ts=590ca018
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9tcCeuQoreYaUVtckZXWl9raDA/view?invite=CN6VvNoI&ts=590cdac6
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9tcCeuQoreYbG1sWmtmRTRrNWs/view?invite=CPLn2dUK&ts=590c9720
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9tcCeuQoreYTTFCZHJXTER4dnc/view?invite=CPnb7mA&ts=590cde37