Dancers will perform original works during annual Student Choreography Showcase

Salve Regina’s dance majors and minors will present new works during the annual Student Choreography Showcase, directed by Lindsay Guarino, associate professor of dance and chair of the Department of Music, Theater and Dance. The performances will be Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for military and seniors, $8 for Salve Regina faculty and staff, and free for Salve Regina students. Masks are required for all audience members. To purchase tickets, go here.

The Student Choreography Showcase is completely choreographed by students who are a major or minor in dance at Salve Regina. The students are either choreographing for the first time or have already made four or five pieces, and every piece in this showcase expresses a choreographers’ lived experiences — whether it is sharing their personal style through their movements or telling a story that may be too difficult to put into words.

Choreographers for this year’s Student Choreography Showcase are as follows: Zoe Banks ’23, Rose Bogardus ’22, Nakyah Dagraca ’22, Bella DiFusco ’22, Morgan George ’22, Sara McCormick ’23, Issy Patriquin ’22, and Emily Wyrick ’22.

“As dancers, we have pieces set on us all of the time, and while we could still express ourselves through the story of other choreographers, it is different to see your visions and feelings come to life,” said Rose Bogardus ’22, a double major in dance and marketing with a minor in business administration. “This is our chance to show what we have learned through all of our training.”

A photo from a past showcase.

This show is a presentation of all of the research and work that each dance student has put into their choreographed pieces, according to Bogardus.

“I choreographed ‘Realization and Retaliation’ in the show,” described Bogardus. “This piece is nothing like what I have choreographed before. It is to a Marilyn Manson song, ‘The Beautiful People’ …. While ‘The Beautiful People’ may just seem like a weird heavy metal song, the lyrics contain such a powerful meaning to society and what is actually happening — not only in this country, but the world.”

Morgan George ’22, a nursing major and dance minor, choreographed a piece entitled “Evanescence.” According to George, the work describes the four-year college transition as viewed from a first year student to a senior point of view.

“When we first begin college, we are anxious to get through these four years as quickly as possible, taking every opportunity we can be a part of,” she explained. “As a senior, we change to this idea of trying to hold on to moments and suspend them as long as possible. This is my fifth piece that I have been able to create as Salve Regina, and I am so excited to share it.”

The dancers hope that staff, students and faculty will come watch the performances. To them, dance isn’t just about having fun, but it’s about learning how to communicate, how to have discipline and what it means to be human.

“From those I have talked to that have attended our shows in the past, they are always so surprised from the pieces that we share, and they grow interested in the stories we want to tell,” said George. “One of my favorite things about being a choreographer is hearing peoples’ interpretations of the intention.”

Performances will be held on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for military and seniors, $8 for Salve Regina faculty and staff, and free for Salve Regina students. Masks are required for all audience members. To purchase tickets, go here.

Featured photo is by Nikki Lee.