Jenna Bacon, Campus Carrier arts and living editor

The Berry College Dance Company (BCDC) will perform their spring showcase on April 24, at 7:00 p.m. in Sister’s Theatre. Directed by Lecturer and Director of Dance, Sarah Pecina, the performance will feature various styles of dance, including ballet, contemporary, tap and jazz. There will be 18 dances performed, 16 of which have been choreographed by students who completed the DAN 307 choreography class. 

According to sophomore BCDC dancer Alyssa Cruz, auditions for the show were held in January, the first week of the spring semester. The student choreographers are selected prior to auditions, but they still actively participate in the process. Junior Amelia Grant is one of the eight student choreographers participating in the show.

“We will have moments where we get to watch other people dancing, and we can take notes, and we can kind of go about selecting our cast from there,” Grant said. “Then we’ll have a meeting where, because we can’t cast everybody we want, we’ll just have a conversation and brainstorm so we can figure out our cast from there.”

Cruz shared that dancers would choose how many dances they want to participate in and got to share which styles of dance they preferred. Most of the student choreographers chose to participate in dances outside of their own as well. 

Sophomore BCTC dancer Sawyer Lignugaris will participate in eight dances. According to Lignugaris, dancers have one hour of weekly rehearsal for each dance they are participating in. Tech week is when the BCDC begins rehearsing in Sisters Theatre and putting it all together. 

“For tech week, we are at the theater from 5 to 9 every night, and that’s just how it is,” Lignugaris said.

Student choreographers are both learning and teaching dances. According to Grant, after teaching the dance, she would usually like to review and hear from the dancers. Rehearsal was treated as a collaborative process. 

“I love it when the dancers that are in my piece have tips or say, ‘This foot feels better than this foot,’ or ‘I’d rather use my right arm for this,’ because they’re the ones dancing it, and they’re the ones that are going to make it beautiful, so I love for them to be able to have that freedom,” Grant said. 

Cruz said that preparing for this showcase has helped her learn good time management skills and the importance of staying active outside of rehearsals, improving her dance technique along the way. Even the challenging aspects of this process have proved to be well worth the trouble.

“I guess the most challenging part is the amount of work you are expected to put in, but it’s also the most rewarding part because at the end of it, you get a piece that you and all the other dancers are connected with,” Cruz said. 

In addition to choreographing her own piece, Grant will also perform in works by fellow student choreographers in the showcase. Grant said she appreciates Pecina’s flexible and exploratory teaching style and philosophy surrounding artistic movement. 

“She’s a very ‘figured it out in the moment’ sort of person,” Grant said. “She’ll have set choreography, but if we ask her, ‘Where do my arms need to be?’ she’ll say ‘Oh, just let them be for now and I’ll see what happens.’ It’s a very artistic environment, and dances grow out of that environment, which I really like.” 

Before coming to Berry, Lignugaris was part of a highly structured and at times rigorous arts program, where she was involved in dance. She said she values BCDC’s emphasis on artistic exploration and collaboration.  

“Honestly, it’s a little bit more fun,” Lignugaris said. “It just feels like I’m doing it more because I want to instead of because I’m scared to get yelled at for not doing something exactly right.” 

According to Cruz, BCDC has a strong group dynamic, with dancers supporting and uplifting one another as they work toward a shared goal. 

“That’s what also makes coming up on showtimes easier,” Cruz said. “Because we all have each other’s backs in these stressful times, and it’s great working with them. We’re all just such great friends, and it’s really fun to do what you love with your friends.” 

Lignugaris shared that she hopes the performance will inspire a deeper appreciation for dance among audience members.

“I’m totally biased, but it’s because I know that dancers work really hard and dance is not only an art but a sport as well,” Lignugaris said. “It’s really challenging and I feel like it needs more recognition.” 

The showcase is free and open to the public. Berry students will also receive a Cultural Event (CE) should they choose to attend.