Dance! Alabama hosted its fall concert on campus this weekend. The biannual performance boasted 120 dancers in a series of 18 dances. This show was a part of the organization’s 26th season and drew in an impressive crowd.
Each performance presented a unique theme and style. The dancers executed intense leaps, glides and gymnastic-like backflips, all without visible exhaustion.
Alyse McCall, a sophomore majoring in business and dancer, said Dance! Alabama’s main purpose is to “spread community and belonging at dance through the school.”
The music choices ranged from classic rock to modern R&B. Gen Z’s playlists had their share of representation with modern hits like Frank Ocean’s “Self Control” and Beyoncé’s “Resentment.”
Certain dance moves had a sensual nature as the songs contained mature themes. It became evident rather quickly that this performance was geared towards a collegiate audience.
The final dances of part one and two featured more personal meanings for the studio members. The performance, “Full Circle” utilized the 1975’s “Robbers” and was a senior-only dance that featured an on-stage group hug at the end. The choreographer of “Reflections of Him” with Tyler the Creator’s “Like Him” reflected the deeper message behind her creation on Dance! Alabama’s Instagram.
The technical team greatly impacted the amount of emotion and energy felt while watching every dance. The audio quality of each song remained crisp, but not overpowering. The lights both and off the stage followed the cues and aesthetics of the performance, from somber to clubby.
Ellie Congemi, the president of Dance! Alabama and active member of the board for the last three years, touched on how much effort goes on behind-the-scenes: “From the technical aspects to the selling tickets to the scheduling space, the things that you wouldn’t even think about when you’re just showing up and dancing and having other people do it for you.”
Congemi additionally emphasized the importance of the organization switching from department-run to studio-run.
“I think we have fully taken control of and love the fact that we have so much creative freedom here that wasn’t necessarily available when we were housed under the department so closely,” Congemi said. “I think any single one of us would say that we literally see it from start to finish. Nothing goes untouched by the students.”
The program mainly focused on the contemporary jazz style. However, movements common in tap, ballet and even cheer were sprinkled throughout. Freshman nursing major Santina Chierchio said she hoped to see this concept expand even further.
“I kind of came out of my comfort zone doing a different style,” Chierchio said, “but hopefully next semester, they do more hip-hop.”
Dance! Alabama offers its members a tight-knit community among the over 40,000 students at the university.
“It’s really hard to put into words, but this organization has really helped me grow in my personal life and my professional life, working, forming relationships, just all of the above,” said Ella Kate Puterbaurgh, secretary of Dance! Alabama. “It’s just been a great experience.”
Congemi said she believes the studio attracts many students on a more personal level.
“I think students are drawn to this because it’s a very strong legacy,” she said. “You don’t feel like you’re stagnant through college. You do feel like you still have that opportunity to grow.”
