Creative Voices Shine on Stage in Fall Dance Concert
- Miro McIntyre Clere
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
“The works you are about to see are documents of discovery, courage, and creative risk-taking” said Alexander Davis, Director of the Fall Dance Concert.
This year’s Dean College Fall Dance Concert is an authentic showcase of student talent and hard work. Opening Friday at 7:30 pm in the Guidrey Center, this show uncovers a deeply personal and collaborative approach to dance.
“I’m really proud of how unique they all are,” said the show’s director, Alexander Davis. “Each work represents a level of research and depth and creativity that is individual to that person. We’re really being welcomed into ten very distinct worlds, and it feels like each one of these students is finding their individual voice.”
“There is a bravery in sharing one’s work that is still forming.”
The performance features ten original works choreographed by student dance majors, including:
“Two Moons (côte à côte)” by Vincent Maizland, “Debbie is Sick” by Madeline Burt, “Defective” by Ava Grace Fecher, “Held” by Morgan Bowden-Atherton, “Lines to Motion” by Katherine Marotta, “Seeking Solace” by Billie Comeau and Alexandra Stanglewicz, “Sultans” by Taryn Moquin, “Mold” by Elizabeth Perreault, “Divine Fracture” by Vayla Torrey, and “Fleeting Eternity” by Cambelle Danko and Alexandra Oestman.
A single spotlight lies on a male dancer, dressed in a dapper suit with a cigar between his lips. As the music begins to play, his feet find the rhythm, tapping on the ground seamlessly to the beat. Senior dance major Taryn Moquin created her tap dance piece, Sultans, “to experience how to balance creation in the tap world.” She explained that “Innovation and preservation are two different fields in dance that people specialize in. I want to find a happy medium.”
Moquin wants her tap piece to be “an experience, not a performance. She wants the audience to “have fun and bob along.”
Through the process as a choreographer, Moquin found meaning not only in rhythm and form but also in connection. “I am really proud of the community that I developed throughout making this dance,” she said. “I discovered that preservation versus innovation would not be possible without the community aspect of the tap world.”
Another standout piece in the show explores the power of feminine connection. The Guidrey Center fills with the sound of heavy breathing that erupts into giggles and childlike laughter. A group of female dancers take the stage in pastel dresses and frill socks. Moregan Bowden-Atherton described her inspiration for her piece ‘Held.’ “Women have always been at the center of my life. The connections I have with women are sacred, almost magical. I wanted to capture that ephemeral feeling of feminine connection, in all its complexities, and put it on stage. I used a lot of source material for this piece, but the biggest inspiration was a poem by January Gill O’Neil titled ‘In the Company of Women.’ I highly recommend it.”
For Bowden-Atherton, the piece is deeply personal. “The dance community at Dean is small, yet tight knit,” she said. “I have so much love and respect for all the women in my
major, but especially in my cohort. This piece is for them, for me, and for all the women who have helped us get where we are now.”
Her message for the audience carries hope and inclusivity. “I hope this piece touches the heart of every woman in the audience, but most of all, I hope they feel the pure, authentic joy that we conjured with this piece in every rehearsal, even if it’s just a taste.”
Director Alexander Davis wants the audience to celebrate not only what is seen on stage, but what it represents. Behind the artistry lies countless hours of rehearsal, collaboration, and passion. “These students work incredibly hard, not just for themselves, but for each other.” He explained, “They make it look easy, but that ease comes from hours of training and support.”
“Witness something rare and underappreciated, artists in the act of becoming”
The Fall Dance Concert is at the Guidrey Center on Friday October 31st, at 7:30 pm, Saturday, November 1st at 2:00 pm, and Saturday at 7:30 pm.
