Media Credit: SRU Dance
By Kate Drexel –
The lights in the gym at Rogers Recreational Center suddenly dim and the sound of a shrilling alarm pierces room. Yet it soon disperses, and in its place arises the sound of tapping shoes. The dancers’ shirts begin to light up and flicker along with the beat to a familiar song, “Turn Me On” by David Guetta and Nicki Minaj. The dancers tap to the rhythm in perfect synchronization, with both stage and natural smiles. This made the beginning of the performance come alive.
The whole show was phenomenal, especially The Let Loose Dance Troupe, a therapeutic dance team run by Salve Regina students. The troupe performed during the Sunday afternoon show and danced to “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” with children from the Aquidneck area.
SRU Dance is the largest club on campus and had a total of 119 active participants in this semester’s show. The club is completely student-run and organized – even the choreography. Students who have been with the team for two consecutive semesters are allowed to choreograph.
The performers danced to songs from many genres such as pop, classic rock, hip-hop/rap, alternative rock, Broadway, classical and there was even a new appearance of “dubstep” in the show. The final piece was the senior dance to songs that mentioned 2012 in honor of the rumored Mayan end of times. The mix of songs included hits such as Britney Spears’ “Till the World Ends” and Jay Sean’s “2012 (It Ain’t the End)”.
The audience left the performance satisfied.
Mimi Muttoni said, “I thought the show was better than last year’s and I really enjoyed it.”
“It was great to see how much effort the dancers put into the show, like you can really see it,” says freshman Shannon Tolles.
Practice began the second Sunday of the semester, and continued every Sunday Rogers Recreational Center and the dance studio in Antone. Each choreographer had a 45-minute block with his or her dancers.
“I would say that my experience with SRU Dance was very challenging and you need to put a lot of time into it,” says Elizabeth Franson, a freshman who has been with the team for two semesters. “A lot of people put a lot of work into it and it ends up being a great show.”
Freshman Samantha Boudah also has something to say about the amount of energy and enthusiasm the dancers put into the end-of-semester show. “In the beginning you have to put in a lot of hard work,” she said. “It’s exhilarating to see how everything ends up working out really well in the end and all the pieces come together and create a brilliant show, and everyone has fun seeing it. It’s always great to hear how well everyone likes it.”
It was clear that a lot of effort and energy had been put into the show, especially with the seniors, considering this was their last performance. One can hope that this persuades more students to join in this exciting experience in the fall.
