Students showcase dancing and directing talents
By Sofia Santiago and Maggie Kleiner
As the blue stage lights rose and the first pluck of a violin sounded, a portal into the world of student choreography at Rider opened. Students crafted a diverse collection of dance pieces, with genres ranging from contemporary and lyrical to jazz and hip-hop.
The Rider dance department premiered its Fall Dance Concert on Nov. 8 and 9 in the Bart Luedeke Center Theater. The production showcased 15 consecutive pieces from 16 student choreographers’ creative visions.
As dancers twirled, strutted and leapt across the stage, their pieces demonstrated themes of love, friendship and identity. Each piece contributed to the unity of the performance, separated only by the dramatic lighting changes reflecting each song’s tone.
“I tried to create an evening that had a little bit of ebb and flow, so that all of the dark pieces weren’t next to each other, or all of the softer or lighter pieces,” said Megan Mazarick, assistant professor and full-time dance faculty member at Rider.
Students auditioned for the concert with their own choreography, most of which eventually made its way into the show. Consequently, Mazarick said she felt like she served as the event’s producer rather than the director.
Dancers performed in solo, duet and ensemble pieces, set to songs such as “Azaman” by Rema, “Train Wreck” by James Arthur and “Kill For Your Love” by Labrinth. Some pieces even blended music with sound bites of pensive monologues.
Ian Kent, a sophomore dance performance major, choreographed a seven-minute introspective piece titled “Soulmate” set to both music and spoken word. Kent and nine other dancers blended contemporary, modern and ballet styles to complement the tenderness of his piece.
“I wanted to dedicate it to my parents from the start because I always love how much love they have for one another, and I wanted to express that on the stage with my artistry,” said Kent. “I just wanted to spread the message that love wins always.”
First-time choreographer and sophomore dance performance major Itai Serra reflected on the intention behind “Blue Wildflower,” her piece set to the Billie Eilish songs “WILDFLOWER” and “BLUE.”
“I kind of wanted the audience to feel that everyone has struggles,” Serra said. “Not everything has a good ending.”
Serra recalled telling her dancers to “feel the music” and allow it to help them heal from their own struggles. As Serra and her dancers contorted their arms and legs to personify Billie Eilish’s somber lyrics, the audience could not help but feel the sorrow that Serra intended.
Not every piece evoked sadness, however. Senior dance performance major Alli Fama’s piece “All That Fosse” made the audience erupt in laughter as she and Kent tipped their matching straw hats and mimicked the honking in “Who’s Got the Pain?” from the musical “Damn Yankees.” Sophomore dance performance major Jamai Brown’s piece “HIM” summoned cheers and applause as he confidently strutted the stage under the bright red lighting.
When hosting auditions, Mazarick explained that there was minimal advertisement because she wanted to give musical theater and dance majors the opportunity to showcase their talents.
“There is a lot of diversity in styles and different lenses to which people view and access dance,” said Mazerick. “I wanted audiences to come in and to see that we have a very large group of active dancers and, within the dance program, there’s a lot of talent, a lot of drive and a sense of community.”
In hopes of involving more people in the future, Mazarick shared plans to cast a wider net in auditions and collaborate with the Rider Dance Ensemble in upcoming events.
For aspiring choreographers that are interested in auditioning in the future, Serra shared advice she wished she heard going into the auditions: “Trust yourself and what you’re doing in the moment, because you can always get better, but there’s never going to be the same time as now.”
After dancers triumphantly took their final bow, Fama stepped to the front and encouraged the audience to make donations to send selected students to an upcoming dance conference. Although they were nearly out of breath, the dancers’ pride was unmistakable and the night’s success was unforgettable.
Check out The Rider News’ photo gallery of the fall dance concert!
