Lyrical, hip-hop, tap, Irish dance – Wittenberg dancers showed off their moves in a variety of dance styles at the Fall Dance Concert on Nov. 7-10.
The event was held at Chakeres Memorial Theater and included over 50 dancers performing in 19 difference pieces. The concert sold out 142 seats of the theater all four nights.
“This was the first dance concert I had been to and I went to support my friend,” said Deanna Iwanyckyj, Wittenberg student. “It was inspiring and beautiful to see how the dancers performed such flowing and expressive pieces.”
The dance pieces were not only performed by students, but also choreographed by them. Only one piece was choreographed by a non-student.
The student choreographers were at least of a sophomore standing and represented all different styles and backgrounds. The choreographers had about two months to prepare their pieces, and they chose their dancers through an audition process. Then dancers then had to choose which dances they wanted to perform.
“I chose to be in Katie DelBello’s “Acceptance” piece because it is a cause that is close to my heart,” said Linzey Rice, Wittenberg dance major.
Choreographers DelBello and Mary Lynch both said that they wanted to embrace diversity with their piece, Lynch with her Irish dance piece, “Sálinte!” and DelBello with her hip-hop piece, “Acceptance”.
DelBello’s piece involved 13 dancers of all different levels and styles dancing to Macklemore’s “Same Love”. Delbello said that the dancers and costumes made up the entire piece to be a visual representation of how she feels about promoting gay rights and about accepting all people, no matter their stereotypes.
“If you want to see a change in the world, you have to be it,” said DelBello.
These two choreographers, along with dancers, Maggie Owens and Rice, said that the dance concert and the Wittenberg Dance Program as a whole, is a way for dancers to not only engage in another art form but also to express feelings through movement.
Rice and Owens both started dancing at age three and said that dancing at Wittenberg has been a way to express themselves while pursuing a lifelong passion at the same time.
“My experience with the Wittenberg Dance Program has been a way for me to figure out what I want out of dancing, to explore what dancing means to me and to use dance as an expressive outlet,” said Rice.
The Wittenberg Dance Program will also put on the spring Faculty and Seniors Dance Concert May 1-3.
