This Friday, February 28, and Saturday,March 1, the annual dance concert will take place in Bardwell auditorium. With over 20 performances and 25 dancers, attendees can look forward to a range of different styles of dance, including ballet, hip hop, jazz, K-pop, contemporary, and modern. This concert will showcase the hard work the dancers have put in since the fall, as they bring their performances to life on stage. Every year the show is named by the Director of Dance, Devon Fitchett. This year, Devon decided to name the concert Unfold, inspired by the unfolding of dancer’s emotions while performing.
Every year, there are student choreographers who create their own pieces to include in the dance concert. This year’s student choreographers are Grace Li ‘27, Ari Gonzalez ‘27, Allie Morvillo ‘25, Clio Petrulis ‘27, Carolyn Simmons ‘25, and Sophie Carey ‘25. Auditions took place in October for the student-choreographed pieces, which were also open to students who do not take dance as their extracurricular at Dana Hall. Carolyn Simmons says “Its rewarding to see your wok on stage and to think ‘I made that.’”
Another addition to the dance concert is K-pop production. Unlike Dana’s other genres of dance, K-pop is a club, open to everyone, and the whole piece is student-led. K-pop is a Korean style of dance that brings a fun, poppy energy to Unfold.
Samantha Roseburg, class of 2016 came back to Dana Hall to teach and choreograph for Dana dance. She taught classes throughout the fall and has her own choreographed piece in Unfold. Sam was a dedicated dancer at Dana from 8th-12th grade and was in the Dance show herself.
Dana Hall’s new technical theater director, Michelle Wetherbee has helped make this production come to life with colorful lighting to set different moods and highlight dancers. Partnered with Dana’s tech crew, she manages the technical aspects of the show and production wouldnt run if it weren’t for their efforts.
Assistant Director of the Upper School Krista Falcone, who has taught at Dana Hall for fourteen years expresses her excitement for the dance concert, “Because in my fourteen years at Dana hall, the dance concert has consistently brought me joy. I look forward to seeing my students on stage in a new light and getting to know what talents other students have. Plus sometimes, Devon shares the playlist with me.”
Dana Hall’s dance program offers students a chance to explore a variety of dance styles at different skill levels. The dance program here accepts students from no dance experience to students who have been dancing for years. There are three levels available for the following classes: Modern, Ballet, and Jazz. Prior to this year, there was a Beginner hip hop class and an advanced hip hop class. This school year, there is one hip hop class that combines the levels of hip hop and allows more students to be a part of the dance concert. The Dance Concert exhibits the talents of our Dna Hall students.