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This weekend PCC’s visual, media, and performing arts dance department presented “Ensemble,” a Spring dance concert with original dance pieces from students and faculty.

Artistic directors Cheryl Banks-Smith and Sarah Leddy worked with students throughout the semester to bring this production together for this three-day event. The theme “Ensemble” describes the whole process in a show and how it’s put together by working as a group and having different ideas come together for one event.

“Our theme of ‘ensemble’, which means, ‘a group or unit of complementary parts that contribute to a single effect’ reflects our collaborative process, and the idea that each individual voice is important but contributes to our collective venture,” states Banks-Smith in the show’s program.

Students throughout the semester work on their own choreography within the class and learn other choreography as well from their classmates and faculty members. During the semester, students learn the importance of being a dancer and that there is more to just learning a dance routine.

Leddy’s favorite part of the whole process is seeing her students grow.

“My favorite part is watching the dancers grow and become stronger performers,” said Leddy. “There’s so many aspects that go into creating a production and I can see them start to take on the bigger picture of what it means to be a dance artist.”

The show consisted of 11 dances, four choreographed by faculty and the rest from students. There was a variety of dances, from contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and classical modern dance.

The show began with a contemporary dance number called “In Reel Time” with dancers dancing in expressive and fluid dance movements.

There was also a solo performance called “Harmony” choreographed and performed by student dancer Jessica Lauren Taylor who grabbed the audience’s attention with a slow but swift and graceful performance to “Bach Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major.”

A crowd favorite was the performance of “Los Mineros” which means “The Miners.” Dancers wore bright, vibrant colored costumes and danced to upbeat Spanish music. This was a dance dedicated to the Mineros of South America.

The show ended with a fun hip-hop dance number with strobe lights surrounding the theater, fast movement choreography, and stunts such as cartwheels and dancers being carried, dancing to District 78’s “How it’s done.”

With the semester coming to an end, and growth from the beginning of the semester to now performing in the school dance concert, students have put in hard work, dedication and passion into these performances and show all-together. But most importantly, they have grown individually as dancers and are proud overall of the final product of the show.

“It’s just how it went from little pieces to a show, and just seeing it on the stage to perform it for everyone that we know and love,” said student dancer Elisabeth Weiner-Adams. “And it’s really fun. This is the pay off in the end.”

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