Kyra Tan

Next week, dance and a cappella groups will perform in a joint winter concert for the first time in the College’s history. Featuring six a cappella troupes and four dance troupes, the show will be held on Wednesday in Pickard Theater at 8 p.m. and will combine an array of song and dance styles.

Each a cappella group will perform two songs, many of which are brand new to their sets. Dance groups will perform one routine each, with genres ranging from ballet to hip hop to contemporary.

Performers expressed enthusiasm for Wednesday’s concert, viewing it as an opportunity to show off a semester’s worth of practice.

“I think a lot of people underestimate how much work goes into these songs and these performances that dance and a capella do,” Miscellania member Jess Giorgio ’23 said. “So it’s a really cool chance to get to show off that work.”

Beyond having excitement for their own acts, performers expressed an eagerness to see what their peers will bring to the stage. Isabel Petropoulos ’23, leader of dance groups Vague and Arabesque, discussed her enthusiasm for the diversity of dance performances which can be expected at Wednesday’s concert.

“Since Vague does jazz, contemporary and lyrical, it’s really nice to see groups like Obvious, which are more hip hop focused, or swing dance, which is something that Vague doesn’t do at all,’’ Petropoulos said. “I’m just really excited to see all of that come out in the winter show.”

The idea for a joint concert was introduced by dancers who sought to rebuild their program’s presence on campus following a decline in participation since Covid-19. Giorgio is excited for frequent a cappella goers to also experience the dance performances.

“Traditionally we’ve had our own a cappella concerts, but I think that combining with dance offers a cool new experience for people who tend to just see singers,” Giorgio said.

Sydney Cox ’23, a leader of two dance troupes and a member of Ursus Verses, hopes that the wider audience that comes with a joint concert will help broaden the reach of the club dance program.

“A cappella pulls in more interest on campus, so it’s a nice opportunity for a larger audience to be able to see that dance is strong at Bowdoin,” Cox said.

A cappella performers empathized with the goals of Cox and other dancers, highlighting the importance of solidarity within the arts on campus.

“I’m all for the arts sticking together, and Covid was really tough on the arts community in general,” Longfellows member John Erlandson ’25 said. “The Longfellows had an especially hard time over Covid … so I can sympathize with the dance groups that also lost a lot of members and [who want] to get some excitement back for the dance community.”

Cox expressed gratitude to the a cappella program for helping to make this unique show happen.

“Big thanks to a cappella for allowing the dance groups to join and to get the audience that they also deserve,” she said.