Written by: Rebecca Straits (Rjs006@marietta.edu)
The annual Spring Dance Concert started with a bang on May 1st in the Friederich Theatre, Hermann Fine Art Center. The Concert was on May 1st to May 2nd from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.
The show was cut into two acts with a short intermission in between and was a mix of personal performances and finals for classes Dance 110 and Dance 310.
The concert featured two guest performers: Kitri Held, who performed an elegant rendition of Odette’s variation from Swan Lake with inspiration from ballet dancer and choreographer Lev Ivanov, and Marietta College alumna, Victoria Humphrey, who performed a zealous tap solo to “Nothing you can take from me” by Rachel Zegler and The Covet Band.
Act one had thirteen performances, starting with a group performance of “Blow” choreographed by Aurora Held-Dodd, the concert director and head of Marietta College’s dance program.
Both acts featured a variety of dance styles, including waltz, contemporary, theater, jazz, ballet, tango, and tap.
When asked what it was like on stage, first time dancer Kaira Gulett responded, “Being onstage is electrifying. All you want to do is to do your absolute best to put on the amazing show that you’ve worked so hard for.”
Gulett and Clay Sieg choreographed and performed “We can’t be friends” for the Spring Dance Concert.
Act two had ten performances and concluded with a performance of “Friday at the Drive In” inspired by the musical Grease, choreographed by Lais Gabriela Flores, and performed by Lais Gabriela Flores, Evie Gravlin, Madison Kuta, Dallas Lacey, Maurice Riley, Helena Smith, Brendon Thompson, and Jackson Vargo.
Dallas Lacey, who started competitive dancing at eight years old and performed and choreographed a tap solo to “Everything mean nothing to me” by Elliot Smith commented on the show stating, “The care, dedication, and effort were palpable from even just walking into the room. We all poured our hearts and souls into this show and gave it everything we had in us.” continuing, “I am incredibly proud of every dancer that took the stage this year regardless of quantity or difficulty of dance. The growth I have seen within everybody’s dancing even just between rehearsals and performances was significant.”
The Spring Dance Concert was held at the Friederich Theatre, Hermann Fine Art Center, on May 1st to May 2nd and was from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Marietta College’s theater season starts back up in September at the Muskingum Park Gazebo with the performances of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”. To keep up with the Theatre Department, visit them at marietta.edu/theatre-season.
