"I'm really excited about the Spring Dance Show," said Karen Fossum '07, a dancer in VAGUE. "It's so great to perform and show people what we've been working on." Her enthusiasm is catching, and you too will be able to partake in it at the 33rd annual Spring Dance Show this weekend.
June Vail, a Bowdoin dance professor, echoes Fossum's excitement. "We have a South African welcome dance and several modern and multi-media pieces [choreographed] to music ranging from the theme from Perry Mason to contemporary Swedish folk music to Ani DiFranco," she said. "There's a Gum Boot dance, several student-choreographed solos and group pieces, video projections, VAGUE's jazz piece, [a] ballet to Sigur Ros...That's what makes the show exciting, plus the fact that the dances are of high quality, and the dancers well-rehearsed," she continued.
Bowdoin's dance programs are certainly first-rate, and the dancers are very talented. Judging by past performances, this show should be a must-see.
Said Vail, "Our dance concerts are very eclectic-on purpose we like to present a mix of styles and approaches, and a variety of kinds of choreography-so you could say that the theme is diversity and inclusion!"
The show features "Misty," a dance choreographed by lecturer Gwyneth Jones and performed by the Introductory Repertory class; "Shift Space," choreographed by lecturer Lisa Hicks and performed by the Intermediate Repertory class; and a multimedia piece, "Cell," directed by lecturer Paul Sarvis and performed by the Advanced Dance class.
There are also several performances by smaller groups of students, including two that focus on South African dance: "Yamkela," choreographed by Kijan Bloomfield '04, and a Gum Boot Dance created by Daniel Kareem Canada '05.
The student dance organizations VAGUE and Arabesque also have dances in the show. Sarah Horne '07 describes VAGUE's dance, "Look Out!," choreographed by Jill Grunnah '06, is "a combination of jazz and hip-hop... It varies significantly from many of the other performances in the show, which are mostly on a more modern track."
Several of the dances incorporate multimedia elements, making the Spring Dance Show a more interesting, varied experience than it was in the past, and adding a new dynamic to the feel of the show.
Everyone, including the dancers, the dance professors, and instructors, seems excited about the show, which is timed perfectly to arrive just as the lovely spring weather finally comes our way. Although the show contains a variety of eclectic dances, the performance as a whole gives physical form to the joy in everyone's heart at the arrival of spring.
The Spring Dance Show opened last night in Pickard Theater, and continues with performances tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m.