With the end of the spring semester fast approaching, Marymount students are putting on their final shows for the school year, and for the seniors, their final ever performances at Marymount. The MMC dance department’s Spring Repertoire Performance was held in the Theresa Lang Theatre from May 2nd to May 4th and May 9th to 11th. The show consisted of five pieces with choreography by Dolly Steir, Zvi Gotheiner, Adesola Osakalumi, Sidra Bell, and Bill T. Jones.
The first piece, “Hi are you like me,” showed off Dolly Sfeir’s impressive choreography alongside a composition by Jesse Scheinin. The work was executed by a cast of twenty-two, all clad in suits imagined by Dolly Sfeir, and realized by costume designer Gabriel Corrignan. The movement was emphasized by the performer’s facial expressions and vocal projections, as well as the dynamic and interactive lighting designed by Cheyenne Sykes.
The second piece “Bear’s Ears (Excerpts)” had a cast of sixteen, with eight members per performance. The MMC dance departments’ rendition of “Bears Ears” came from choreography by Zvi Gotheiner in collaboration with the Repertory Dance Theatre Utah Dancers, reconstructed by Chelsea Ainsworth. The piece was modeled after ceremonies conducted petitioning for the preservation of the National Monument, Bear’s Ears. One of the Marymount students performing “Bear’s Ears (Excerpts),” Abby Boldy, spoke on the piece’s message.
“It’s about having respect for spaces and a sense of reverence for space,” said Boldy, “ that’s how we go about the piece. You’ll see us moving our hands around as if touching the soil or dirt, signaling that this is a sacred space to a group of people.”
As Boldy described, the cast utilized body percussion throughout the piece. This is an element that Boldy explained as returning to a sense of body and an acknowledgment of the land being moved upon. For the original “Bear’s Ears” the piece was created immersed in the land and the monument they were fighting to protect, but for the MMC dance department “Bear’s Ears” came together in a new way.
“Being able to share it on a stage is a completely different form than what it was created in,” said Boldy, “but it’s very interesting and it helps bring awareness to the issues even if people don’t understand the total complexities of the piece.”
The next piece performed at Spring Repertoire 2024 was a hip-hop piece with an alternating cast of twelve to thirteen titled, “The Attractions.” As the only piece of its genre in the MainStage performance, “The Attractions,” was immediately eye-catching. Adesola Osakalumi’s choreography, in combination with a musical mashup of “She Came To Give It To You” by Usher, “Love For Life” by Lil Mo, “Be Your Girl” by Teedra Moses, and mixing by Antoine “Doc” Judkins, produced an engaging and entertaining performance. The colorful lighting by Cheyenne Sykes and costumes designed by Gabrielle Corrigan added emphasis to the already impressive production.
MMC’s Dance Company came next with choreography by the founder of Sidra Bell Dance New York, Sidra Bell. Bell’s piece, “Future’s Touch” was assisted by Mio Ishikawa and AJ Libert, and accompanied by the statement “on biodiversity” in the Spring Repertoire program. The translucent, reflective costumes adorning the cast of twenty-two, were designed by Erica Johnston, and the composition was curated using seven different musical pieces.
The final piece of the show, “D-Man in The Waters,” was produced by choreographer Bill T. Jones alongside Repetiteur Catherine Cabeen. Despite the small alternating cast of eight, the rapid movements across the stage created the illusion of a larger group. Felix Mendelssohn’s “Octet for Strings in E-flat major, Op. 20 (1825),” performed by the Orion String Quartet, paired beautifully with the lighting of Robert Wierzel and Cheyenne Sykes which illuminated the earth-tone costumes designed by Liz Prince, and realized by Oliva Zacchia. The performer’s joyful expressions, and movements such as sliding across the stage on stomachs and dynamic running and jumping, created a memorable and entertaining piece to close Spring Repertoire 2024.
MMC’s Sping Repertoire comes at the end of the school year, and the end of the college experience for many MMC dancers. Abby Boldy is a twenty-two-year-old senior double majoring in dance with a jazz concentration and journalism on a pre-law track. Boldly has participated in shows every year, even taking part in the film that substituted the mainstage performance during Covid. For Boldy, Spring Repertoire 2024 will be her last performance on the MMC stage in the Theresa Lang Theatre.
“It’s really surreal feeling, the Spring Repertoire ending,” said Boldy, “It’s great sharing the work that we’ve done because we put so much time and effort into it. As artists we create pieces of work that inspire others, impact them in emotional ways, and speak to them, whether it might be a good or bad response. The job of art is to elicit response and that’s why I love art and I love dance.”
Boldly shared that the best way to describe how she felt regarding her last performance was bittersweet. Boldly told the Monitor that she appreciated her involvement in the MMC Dance Department. Boldly said the shows inspired growth and discovery as an artist and dancer, as well as the exposure to choreographers and professionals in the field.
“I’m just really appreciative of my time at Marymount. I met some great people and I really loved my experience dancing here,” said Boldy, “I am really excited to see what the world has in store for me, what other stages I’ll get to dance on, and what other opportunities are gonna present themselves. The real world is scary but I have the tools and I know I can do it. I just have to jump out there and take a leap of faith.”
