As the curtain rose on the opening night of the university Spring Dance Concert, an audience of students, faculty, friends and family eagerly awaited the results of a semester’s worth of rehearsals in the studio. The concert, which was held April 22, through 25, in the Main Stage Theater at Scales, was a collection of dances choreographed by theater and dance students of the university. Contemporary dance was a predominant style in this year’s concert.

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Seniors Jennifer Reppucci, Stephany Rayburn and Katie Miller created pieces that were modern and dreamlike, complimented by the choice of simple costumes. Senior James Blair took advantage of the theater’s backstage space in his piece, “Die Seelenwanderung.”

By raising the flies and exposing the storage space behind the backdrop, Blair created a new environment for the dancers, using the raw, open stage space to emphasize the quality of his choreography.

While most of the pieces in the concert were set to music, “-TION: a continuum” by junior Ae’Jay Mitchell featured the voices and sounds of the dancers themselves.  Shouts, frustrations, clapping, stomping, smacking, singing — all of the sound effects were created by the dancers.

The use of the voice and the body for sound effects gave the piece a different life and energy. It was more confrontational and participatory for the audience, challenging our traditional perception of performance art.

Soloists were another theme of the dance concert.

The opening piece, “Facets” by senior Janelle Summerville, began with an outstanding solo by senior Jennifer Hayden that set a high standard for the rest of the evening.

Junior Sarah Brown sparkled in junior Anne Nichols’ piece, “C’est La Vie,” which was set to a selection from the Jerome Robbins ballet, Fancy Free.

Summerville led the dancers of “And a River Runs Through It,” a contemporary piece by Hayden.

The solos highlighted not only the talents of the dancers but the talents of the choreographers, displaying versatility as well as creativity.

Despite the dominance of contemporary dance, a couple of jazz pieces accented the evening’s performance.

“Pass Out” by junior Ryann DuRant was a sassy, energetic jazz piece set to the popular song by Chris Brown.

Senior Stephanie Knopp also chose jazz for the concert, choreographing “Journey” to a mash-up of “Don’t Stop Believing” and “DJ Brian Howe’s Ultimate Dance Party.”

With DuRant’s dance closing the first act and Knopp’s dance closing the second, the feisty jazz and popular music left the audience wanting more.

Unlike the contemporary and jazz pieces, other dances in the concert did not fit into a traditional dance style but instead combined several styles.

“Ballerina Assassins” by junior Alison Ringwood was a rock ballet set to music by Muse, Radiohead and the Takeover UK, featuring black and red pointe shoes.

Similarly, senior Allison Fuster’s piece, “Clockwork,” was a mixture of contemporary, jazz and lyrical choreography.

Her choice of simply black costumes and a small six-person cast allowed the choreography to speak for itself.

Senior Allison Hagaman took combining different dance styles to the next level in her piece, “Circumstantial Pomp.” With a total of thirteen dancers, Hagaman’s piece combined jazz, hip hop, ballet and tap dance, making her dance truly original.

She also choreographed a partnering section with Hayden and Blair, complete with exciting lifts that impressed the audience.

With music by Iron & Wine, John Mayer and Coldplay, “Circumstantial Pomp” was without question the most eclectic piece of the evening.

For the student choreographers, the Spring Dance Concert is their chance to create pieces that reflect their personality and individual style.

All of the dances showed the unique talent and creativity of each choreographer.

The Spring Dance Concert is a wonderful opportunity for university students to take what they learn in the studio and give it a personal twist, creating dances that are as distinctive as their personalities.