Students and faculty work together to tell unique and powerful stories portrayed through dance at the Fall Dance Showcase
After months of preparation, the Fall Dance Showcase debuted on Thursday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 30 in Winthrop’s Johnson Theatre.
Nine pieces were performed during the event. The pieces included: Prelude to a Pause, Y2K, Misery Song, Pen(Insula), Tango Para Ti, Sandbox, Spotlight, Eden, and The Possibilities of Thread: Past and Present.
Five of these pieces were choreographed by Winthrop students as a senior project.
The pieces varied entirely and focused on a diverse range of topics. While Y2K showed how dance has evolved from the early 2000s while the Misery Song showed how hard it can be for victims of domestic abuse to leave their circumstances.
According to the Fall Showcase’s Stage Manager, Jada Brown, “The dancers have been working very hard and put sweat, blood, and tears into their performances. Even with everything in the world with COVID, the flu going, they are working hard on the stage. It is quite honorable to be the Stage Manager for the show, the performers, and even the crew. The cast has grown incredibly close.”
Jada Brown’s words show just how important this show has been for all the cast members as well as the crew.
Brown also stated that none of this would have been possible without her fun crew and shouts out to the Assistant Stage Manager, Haylee Green, for everything Green has done for the show.
All messages and stories portrayed through dance were clear and spell-binding to the audience.
Beginning with Prelude to a Pause, a trio production, the Fall Showcase opens up to reflect on the moment or pause between forming a decision. The stunning piece starred Elloise Bethea and Steffan Mayrides-Jolon.
With high energy and nostalgic 2000s music, Y2K includes Christina Aguilera’s “Lady Marmalade”, Rihanna’s “Shut Up and Drive”, Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater”, and much more. The fast-paced program was choreographed by Winthrop senior, Rachel Stevenson.
Misery Song was a moving routine that showed the struggles of everyday people when it comes to domestic abuse. The routine was choreographed by senior Madison Syswerda and is performed as a duet.
When asked about their favorite routine, Jada Brown said Misery Song, “is powerfully performed by two dancers that sends a message. It is my favorite piece because it is something to talk about. Often times, domestic abuse is blamed on the victims, there are so many things that they go through and so many emotions they feel.”
Performed by a group of seven, Pen(Insula) depicts the feeling of loneliness even amongst a crowd. Choreographed by senior Jaiden Mosley, it is a reminder that despite this feeling, you are loved and you deserve to be loved.
Tango Para Ti was a twelve person performance that showed the beauty and power of tango. As described in the program, “the essence of the tango is with quick travel patterns, fast footwork, sharp accents and dramatic sophistication performed by the ensemble and small groups.”
The tango was expressed with a variety of styles, with dancers in character shoes, pointe shoes, and jazz shoes. The purpose of the different shoes were to show the strengths of the dancers in the performance.
The inspiration for Tango Para Ti was the costuming by Professor Janet Gray for the piece “Tango Tiempo” that was originally choreographed by Bethany Tuffy in 2008.
The Sandbox is a piece that reflects on the imagination of children. It is reminiscent of childhood, more exactly the play of children on a playground and their interactions with each other. Even a working seesaw was used in the piece to enhance the feel of childhood. The most impressive part of the piece was the movement and acrobatics of the dancers using the seesaw.
With different versions of the Britney Spears classic, Toxic, Spotlight is a powerful and spellbinding performance that gives you full-body chills. The piece was choreographed by senior Caroline Bergvist and performed by Keyshaun Britt, Kaitlin Metts, and Brooke Trigg.
Eden, choreographed by Justin Angel Tillman, is a piece that focuses on power and strength contrasting innocence. Seven dancers performed this piece with music of Janet Jackson, Rockwilder, Jimmy Jan, and more.
The final piece, The Possibilities of Thread: Past and Present, is a juxtaposition of the old and new. It shows the value of fabric and textiles that are made to last, in contrast to the trends of fast fashions seen everyday. Thirteen dancers portray the treatment of textile materials, whether it is a father’s sweater given to his child or the brand-name materials.
With that, the show ended with the applause and appreciation of the audience.
Anyone who missed this beautiful opportunity, or need a cultural credit, can get the opportunity in the spring.
Until then, the dancers and the crew will go back to practicing their passions until they are ready to showcase their new dances and new stories to tell.
