The Fall Dance Concert was an emotional rollercoaster. As a first year, I had no idea what to expect going into last weekend. I had been a part of many showcases and dance competitions prior to college as I did dance very seriously back in California. But of course, I had my reservations as this was a new program with new people, teachers and experiences. A few days after reflecting on the performance, I can happily say that I am overwhelmed with happiness about how it went.
In the beginning, I was cast in Cate Pope’s ‘25 thesis. I met so many close friends during that process and truly felt comfortable in this new space. My castmates, Sadie Chesloff ‘28, Bryn Murray ‘25, Ruslan Peredelskyi ‘25, Maia Seigerman ‘26 and May Whelan ‘25 were some of the most outstanding people to work with. Everyone was welcoming and always open to trying new things together whether that be a lift or a new floor trick. Every single one of my castmates was helpful in rehearsal and out whether that be Whelan helping me with my Spanish homework or Peredelskyi editing my paper for rhetoric, my castmates were always there to support me.
Then almost halfway through the process, I got a text from Sarah Senator ‘25 asking me if I’d like to join her piece as she’d recently lost a dancer.” Me, being my ambitious self, agreed immediately. And after seeing what a wonderful connection I had built with my castmates in Pope’s piece, I was 100% interested in doing the same in Senator’s. I met so many new dancers that I wouldn’t have had I not joined Senator’s piece because a variety of them weren’t taking the same dance classes as me.
It was such a different process because they were already halfway through the thesis so it was interesting to see how I was slowly working into different sections. But I overall enjoyed Senators because it was so different from Pope’s style; whereas Sarah’s was more contemporary, Cate’s was a mix of contemporary infused with ballet.
Pope’s piece was all about how humans connect to nature whereas Senator’s was about haziness and fading in an unknown space. I enjoyed flipping between the two, it challenged me to change my quality of movement and my facial expressions while dancing. Also being in both pieces tested my stamina because Pope’s piece was 10 minutes and Senator’s was 12 minutes and 41 seconds.
Additionally, there were a variety of challenges when it came to the concert itself. A few weeks prior, we were notified that we would be missing a dancer in Senator’s piece for the Saturday show. Respacing in itself is quite the obstacle because the dance changes for everyone. But on Friday, Senator unexpectedly dislocated her knee 10 minutes into her thesis during her solo. This halted the show but the cast, crew and Bates EMS team handled it all very well and professionally.
Saturday, we lost two dancers in Sarah’s piece, it felt small, yet mighty. We did the dance with no frills, it went as well as we could’ve done it. I was proud and so was the rest of Sarah’s cast because we persevered against all the odds stacked against us. Dance is a very taxing sport – we love it but a majority of the time it doesn’t love our body back.
After reflecting on all three shows, I am glad I was cast in Cate’s and I was grateful to be asked to be in Sarah’s. Dance is such a wonderful avenue to be creative and meet new people. This show was a fantastic experience during my first semester at Bates and I am thankful for all the people who made the show possible and impacted me in a positive way.
