SU DanceWorks displays a wide array of choreography in “Walk of Fame” showcase
SU DanceWorks showcases lively array of student choreography
Student-only dance troupe DanceWorks showcased their choreography on Friday and Saturday during their “Walk of Fame” showcase, held at 8 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium. The spring showcase featured 18 different dance numbers with styles ranging from hip hop, lyrical and jazz to tap and contemporary.
Family and friends packed the auditorium on Friday night in support of the 97 dancers and 20 choreographers. The show included a diverse array of dances to songs like “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé, “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj and “Green Light” by Lorde. The show also featured colorful lights and theatrical smoke, adding to the ambiance of the performances.
After last year’s virtual spring showcase “DanceWorks Universe,” co-head of the production team Ruby Apicella expressed the joy of performing in person.
“It’s been amazing being able to do everything in person and performing in front of a live audience is definitely a completely different experience,” Apicella said. “It’s super electrifying when you’re up there and you know that all these people are here to support you. It’s so much better than having it be virtual.”
To prepare for the spring showcase, DanceWorks members auditioned their choreography pieces in the fall, according to choreographer and executive board member Mary-Katheryn Egger. Then, dancers were selected for each piece and practiced every week until the showcase.
Egger said that despite the challenges that came with choreographing a piece, she was extremely proud of how her dance and the show as a whole turned out. This year, she choreographed an intimate and powerful contemporary dance with 12 dancers to “Mile High” by James Blake and Travis Scott.
“It was inspired by the idea of confidence and harnessing power because I think that isn’t really talked about enough,” Egger said. “I’ve been working on finding confidence within myself, so I wanted all my dancers to feel like they got up on stage and really owned themselves and I hope every one of them grew a little bit through this experience.”
Co-producer Audrey Cadogan also choreographed a piece this year, deciding on a high-energy jazz dance called “GAGA” with 15 dancers. Cadogan said she was always drawn to flashy routines lights and fun costumes that allow dancers to let loose and have fun together. As a co-producer this year, she stressed the importance of staying positive throughout the process.
“The whole time, it was really important for me to keep a positive mindset and remind everyone that we do this because of how much we love this sport,” Cadogan said. “It helped keep morale and energy high and helped make sure everybody stayed with it when things were really tough.”
Freshman Jaden Haddadd said she felt like all of the hard work the team put into the showcase paid off this weekend.
“There’s so much work that gets put into this show and everyone puts their whole heart into it,” Haddadd said. “Just to see it all come together and see the support from so many people, I think that’s definitely the most rewarding part.”
Dancers perform during the opening of "Famous" at the DanceWorks showcase Friday at the Goldstein Auditorium.
Dancers during the opening of "Creator", choreographed by Hayden Hilles at the DanceWorks showcase.
is a digital producer for The NewsHouse. She has also worked for on-campus publications Jerk Magazine and University Girl.
