Syracuse community comes together for the DanceWorks Disco
SU DanceWorks hosts annual showcase
The student-run dance organization performed twice to a packed Goldstein Auditorium this weekend.
The annual spring showcase for SU’s largest student-run dance organization, DanceWorks, presented a night of music, moves and most importantly, a sense of community.
This year’s theme, DanceWorks Disco, included classics from ABBA, Billy Joel and Queen. While the classics certainly fit the retro theme, the modern favorites were not forgotten, with songs from Rihanna, Beyonce and Post Malone making appearances throughout the evening. The Goldstein Auditorium was packed with students, friends and family members for the final night of the two-day event.
The show started off with an energetic ABBA mashup from choreographers Molly Lindstrom and Stevie Micheals. The dancers, clad in eye-catching sparkly dresses, set the mood. The upbeat routines continued, with choreographers Kaitlyn Sullivan and Michela Galego putting on a hip-hop number that perfectly complemented the previous dance, a smooth number to Rihanna’s hit “Desperado.”
Not every dancer moved to the same tempo. “Creeks,” a dance centered on grief and how people experience it, was a contemporary piece choreographed by Katie Phillips that left the audience to feel something deeper, a chance to connect with the dancers on another level.
That sense of connection was a constant throughout the night. Before every dance, the choreographers got a chance to thank their dancers, friends, family and DanceWorks board members for making their experience possible. As the lights dimmed and the dancers got into their positions, friends cheered for the familiar faces on the stage. Dancers who just finished their performances ran out from behind the stage into the audience, rushing to see the culmination of the hours of hard work that went into each performance.
“You could see the love and passion they have for this team and that they just really support each other,” SU senior Ruby Victor said on the night of performances.
For seniors, their last night as a member of DanceWorks was extra special. For many of them, who thought their dance careers were over when they left for college, DanceWorks was a place where they could continue to pursue passion.
“I always thought that after high school I would never dance again, but Danceworks gave me the opportunity to do what I love for four more years and meet so many amazing people,” senior choreographer Sam Meir said.
Despite the constant energy from the crowd, the penultimate performance of the night brought the house down. Jovan Alcantara and Talia Panagiotopoulos’s choreography to a Beyonce mix titled “Renaissance” embodied the singer’s contagious energy. With the use of props like chairs and high heels, the dancers vogued, twirled and death dropped across the stage. By the end, the crowd was on their feet.
“There’s something so special about the DanceWorks audience,” Meir wrote. “Every year it gets more amazing.”
is a digital producer for The NewsHouse.
is a photographer for The NewsHouse.