BY Dominique Price
Staff Reporter
The Sacred Heart University Dance Program will be performing three different shows in the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts in the upcoming week.
The Dance Program is composed of nearly 300 dancers, offering various types of dance groups on campus.
“Many of my friends are in the SHU Dance Company, SHU Dance Ensemble, Hip Hop Production, and as well as SHU Irish Dance Ensemble. I look forward to going to all of the shows to see the wonderful dances they have been working on all semester,” said senior Harry Williamson.
The annual Midnight Cabaret will be held on Friday, Nov. 30 at 10:10 pm in the Edgerton.
Presenting works by both professional and student choreographers, the performance will include dancing and singing.
In addition to the Friday show, the Dance Company will present their show, Pieces of a Dream, on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. The Dance Ensemble will be showcasing their Winter Soulstice show on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.
The Midnight Cabaret is a selection of works by the SHU Dance Company, SHU Dance Ensemble, and the Hip Hop Production program.
“I am very excited to present my piece, Best Life, at the Midnight Cabaret, with some of my fellow Dance Company members,” said student choreographer, junior Sidney Choothesa.
The pieces selected for this show are fun, upbeat, exciting, and energized—meant to inspire and entertain.
Pieces of a Dream will also feature the award-winning SHU Irish Dance Ensemble.
The theme of the show is open ended to allow for some of the most well-known professional choreographers in New York to interpret in their own way.
“For Pieces of a Dream, I have created a 15-minute piece called Lucid, featuring music by Ben Howard, Nina Simone, and Son Lux. The piece is intended to be an exploration of what it would be like inside of a Lucid Dream,” said SHU Dance Program Director, Kari Williams.
Winter Soulstice is a collection of student choreographed works by members of the Leadership track of the SHU Dance Ensemble.
“Although this is my first year on the Leadership track for Dance Ensemble, I am so grateful for all of the hard work my fellow dancers and I have put in to make my vision come true. I’m looking forward to the show and excited to be choreographing again for next semester,” said sophomore Danielle Davanzo, student choreographer.
The SHU Dance Company is a Pre-Professional performance company where audition is required for students to train and perform in ballet, modern, contemporary and world dance forms such as jazz and tap.
The SHU Dance Ensemble is a student-run program where audition is also required but all levels of experience are welcome. It is part of the Dance Program for students who love dance and want to continue being a part of staged productions without the commitment of course work.
“Dance Ensemble has given me the opportunity to express myself more through choreographing, while Dance Company has motivated and pushed me to become a better dancer,” said dance program member Tabatha Maxime.
The Claddagh Dancers of the SHU Irish Dance Ensemble is a high skill level, competitive Irish dance group. Their award-winning performance of “BOOM!” will be showcased at Winter Soulstice.
According to the Sacred Heart website, Hip Hop Production is a high-energy program designed for experienced Hip Hop dancers to further develop movement and technique, but also musicality, rhythm, precision and quality of movement.
The Hip Hop Production’s piece, Hip Hop 4 Life, choreographed by Kim Elliot will also be showcased in the Midnight Cabaret.
“I am inspired by the quote, ‘Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world,’ by Harriet Tubman,” said Williams.
