Photo Courtesy of Lauren Kee
Every Sunday, the arts buildings on campus bustle with activity from Dance Company, Step Squad, and Hip Hop Club. Dancers meet throughout the day to choreograph, learn, and rehearse the pieces they plan to perform in the Spring Dance Concert. This year, the annual concert will consist of thirteen pieces, all of which will be performed outdoors. Five were choreographed by faculty members, two by Hip Hop Club and Step Squad, and six by students selected through an audition process.
One such student choreographer is Laura Jiang ’21. She has spent all three terms this year choreographing her piece on Saturdays and teaching it to her dancers on Sunday mornings. Jiang’s inspiration for her piece arose from her emotions and thoughts during the pandemic, including chasing achievements, the change in the pace of life, and love. In addition, Jiang took a dance composition class that supported her growth as a choreographer.
Despite all the preparation, being a student choreographer during an unpredictable year has been challenging. “There’s been no rehearsal where everyone shows up,” Jiang said, in large part because of remote learning circumstances. In addition, dancers must also wear masks, so Jiang has had to consider the physical difficulty of the piece she had choreographed. On top of that, partner and contact work cannot happen this year due to social distancing protocol, losing chances for many duets and group performances.
Another change that this year’s dance concert brings is outdoor performances, rather than performances in the PMAC. As a result, there will not be stage lights during the performance. “The magic that that layer of production brings to dance will be missing,” said Arts Department Head Ms. Kalya Yannatos. However, dancing outside may bring a new, interesting dimension to the performance.
Laya Raj ’24 is one of the dancers who will be performing outdoors. Raj has been practicing the dance pieces all year. In September, the dance faculty began to share dance sequences and choreography with the students involved. To execute the choreographer’s vision for the piece, Raj thought about what inspired the choreographers and expressed that interpretation through her body language. She sees dance as a way of storytelling. Over time, she said, “the piece finds its own meaning.”
Jenny Guo ’21, co-president of Dance Company, said, “All dancers have very different stories that they’re telling.” She also mentioned that choreographers do not always tell dancers what the theme of their piece is. This year, however, the challenges of the pandemic have influenced the meaning of many performances. Ms. Yannatos said, “The piece that has come through me is a bit heavier than what I might normally make.”
In spite of the myriad of challenges dancers and faculty have faced, the excitement for this per- performance did not wane. Guo, who will be performing for the last time at Choate, is eager to “have that experience being in the dressing room with friends, changing before performances, doing all our warmup rituals together.”
All year, Choate’s dancers have been working tirelessly to put on a show that explores a variety of themes, styles, and skill levels. As they go into their last weeks of rehearsal and preparation, it is clear that they haven’t let new circum- stances slow them down.
