New Routines Help Spice up Dance Production

23

Author: Sharen Renee Cervantes|Sharen Cervantes

Occidental’s annual Dance Production performance at Thorne Hall is one of the most anticipated and widely attended campus events. Last March, students, friends and community members were denied admission because of limited space.

Dance Production president Alyssa Cuervo (senior) expects this year’s attendance to surpass last year’s because of the new dancers’ and choreographers’ skillset. “There is more talent [and] new ideas,” Cuervo said. “[The new dancers] are bringing in new styles […] that we have not had in past years.”

Although each dance featured at Dance Production lasts only three to five minutes, the choreographers and dancers are working hard to ensure that this year’s performance is the biggest and most elaborate Occidental has ever hosted.

Drawn from every genre and style imaginable, this year’s dances are designed to appeal to a diverse audience.

One specific style, break dance, choreographed by Jason Li (sophomore), is geared toward those who want to stray away from traditional dance forms and try their hand at something a little more off beat.

According to Lauren Bunnell (senior), approximately 15 dancers meet every Saturday morning to rehearse for the break dancing number. However, there will soon be two required practices a week.

Such intensity is vital because break dance is unlike anything any of the dancers have been exposed to before. “We spend half of [our] time improvising footwork and learning the basics like the ‘toprock’ and ‘six-step’,” Bunnell said.

“The other half we spend working on ‘power moves’ and ‘freezes,’ which essentially means everyone gets on the floor and attempts to hold these crazy poses with our legs in the air and our heads on the floor!”

Much of the choreography requires upper body strength and balance, and dancers often leave practice with a multitude of wounds. “I usually wake up the next morning with some gnarly bruises and feeling really sore,” Bunnell said.

Still, the weekly practices are paying off. The dancers are gaining both skill and confidence, progressing a little more each week. “It’s been really encouraging to see myself be able to hold a freeze for just a little longer than last week or be able to really feel comfortable with making the improvisational footwork my own,” Bunnell said.

The dancers have a chance to display their talents at the end of every practice. “We make a circle and people show off what they’ve learned that day,” dancer Anna DeNeui (senior) said. “It’s very fun, a great chance to cheer each other on and kind of bond as a dance group.”

Alongside new dancing skills, the performers are gaining new friends. Even though there are dancers from every skill level represented on the team, everyone is supportive of one another’s unique contribution to the group.

“I feel like even though we’re just starting out, everyone has their own unique strength, whether it be creative improvisation, polished footwork or strength to pull off some ridiculous freezes and power moves,” Bunnell said.

While break dance and the other types of dances are generating a lot of excitement, students are also looking forward to old favorites.

Renoa Batista (senior) is choreographing belly dance, formerly led and popularized by Occidental grad Sammy Suboh ’10.

With 25 dancers to direct, Batista is already experiencing difficulties. “The biggest challenge is having a legitimate and safe space to dance,” she said. “There was the Rangeview gym [and] the dance studio, but most of the choreographers have been forced to use common rooms, with inadequate space and wooden floors.”

Another source of frustration for Batista is funding. Due to limited financial resources, none of the choreographers get paid for the work they put into Dance Production. “As students, we do this for free,” Batista said. “I feel like we should at least get academic credit for doing this the whole year, but we don’t.”

Despite the challenges, Batista and her group of dancers are enjoying the experience. “[It] has especially been a privilege to have all ladies in the dance and watch them grow not just as dancers, but as women too,” she said. “Through the practices, [they] have become more comfortable … with their bodies and know how to [use] criticism to their advantage.”

Noel Hollowell (senior) is one such dancer. Although it was difficult learning the reverse body roll and booty-shaking moves that belly dance entails, Hollowell and the other dancers appreciate Batista’s dedication. “Everyone is trying really hard to get the moves down and the choreographer is really pushing for us to make these dances our own and enjoy the [learning] process,” she said.

With the end of fall semester only a month and a half away, the choreographers and dancers are pushing themselves to know the moves backwards and forwards before winter break. If all goes well, this year’s Dance Production will yet again make Occidental history as the one event that draws more people than it can accommodate.

Additional reporting by Katherine Lynch.

This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.

Loading

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here