Tower Dancers in their spring 2024 performance.

COURTESY | Michael Bessom

 

As the Tower Dancers silently set themselves on stage, Markel Auditorium hummed with ambient music as faint lights came on, creating a dim atmosphere for the dancers’ first piece “Lifeforms.”

The performance began with modern dance, switching to contemporary, jazz, and ballet throughout. Other pieces included were, “De Caridad,” “Unspoken,” “The Space in Between,” “The Wild Wild West,” “Variation from Paquita,” “Encounter,” “Growing Up, Growing Apart, Growing Together,” “When I Travel,” and the “Billy Joel Tribute”. 

The Tower Dancers performed three shows April 11 through April 13 after months of dedicated practice.

The performance was not composed of a single theme, said director of dance and Tower Dancers Holly Hobbs. Each piece was choreographed by someone different, varying in music, lighting, costume, and performers. 

“We don’t usually have a theme for our dance concerts because each choreographer is presenting their own unique vision and thematic idea,” Hobbs said. 

Sophomore Moriah Mitchell, who started dancing when she was three years old, performed in “Lifeforms,” “The Wild Wild West,” “Paquita,” and the end tribute to Billy Joel. Mitchell said she was glad there were different variations of dance in the show and enjoyed being able to act and tap dance for “The Wild Wild West.” 

“If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say the wild west ballet just because there’s so much acting in it. And you get to do a lot of acting when you dance, but sometimes it’s a little more toned down,” Mitchell said. “This one included so much pantomime, miming, and a lot of facial expressions. It was just so much fun to practice and perform.” 

According to freshmen Mary Brecount and Lucy Jansen, the piece offered a more theatrical story than simply showcasing the beauty and skill of dance. 

“It combined more theatrical elements, being very entertaining because you could see the emotion and more of the characters of the dancers,” Brecount said. 

Although not as theatrical as the wild west ballet, many other pieces were just as lighthearted, such as “De Caridad” with five dancers who moved to the  lively “Attaboy,” played by fiddler Stuart Duncan.

According to sophomore Nina Morrey, although many of the pieces were lighthearted, others displayed feelings of longing, such as “Growing Up, Growing Apart, Growing Together,” choreographed and performed by Olivia Rome and Sophia Rome.

“There was a sense of longing in a lot of the pieces, like with twin piece there was a longing to stay together,” Morrey said.

In “Paquita,” each dancer was dressed in black and red regal costumes by Corinne Langford, accompanied by Ludwig Minkus’ “Song Title.” 

Paquita is a story of a noble man falling in love with a gypsy woman who is found to have aristocratic blood. In this piece, sophomore Victor Fernandes played the noble man, and freshman Karis Lim, the gypsy woman.

Lim, who has been dancing since she was seven, took seven months off dancing and a nine month break off pointe-not dancing on pointed shoes-and returned to the stage in “Paquita” for the first time since. According to Lim she started taking dance classes here in the fall, and Hobbs asked her to perform for Tower Dancers a few times until she said yes.

“I was praying a lot more throughout the whole process and decided to commit this entire performance to God’s glory,” Lim said. “This is just a way for me to worship him in my dancing, to love him, and to love my audience.” 

Lim said despite her regal, sophisticated role, she wanted to be a light so the audience could feel the same joy she feels when dancing.

“I just wanted to be very warm and generous to the audience, and I didn’t want to be aloof or sort of looking down my nose at people, which is sort of the character,” Lim said. “But I think because I was performing more as myself, rather than this girl, I was hoping the joy that I find in dancing would translate over to the audience.”

Sophomore Nate Gallagher, who helped with stage production, said all of the performances were so moving it made him wish he knew how to dance. 

“There’s so much art, craftsmanship, talent, and grit that the dancers are showcasing,” Gallagher said. “The amount of admiration and respect I have for them is off the charts, particularly during the variations, which were all fantastic.”