Media Credit: Brianna Occhialini - Amanda Narciso (center) gives it her all during Tech Week
By Lauren Kane – On Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20, the SRU Dance club will be holding their fall dance performances. The title of the show is “Shake That,” a lyric taken from the opening number, which features the music of LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.”
“To start [the show] we try to find a song that’s upbeat, to engage the audience right away,” said senior Emily Sulock, a dancer, choreographer, and the public relations coordinator for SRU Dance.
All proceeds from the event go to the Andréa Rizzo Foundation. This foundation works to help children with cancer and special needs through dance therapy. Last year’s event raised over $1,000 on the opening night. It was such a hit that people had to be turned away due to the fire code.
All dances in the show have been choreographed by fellow students. A student can become a choreographer after two consecutive semesters in the SRU Dance Club. Then, they can co-choreograph with another student. After that, students are free to be the solo choreographer for a dance number.
Seniors who have been on the team for their past four years at Salve Regina are going to be leaving with the memories from SRU Dance close to their hearts. “I can’t think of a better way to transition out of my college years.” said senior Samantha Cianci. “Everyone is so devoted and talented.”
“It’s one of the best parts of my week,” said Sulock. “It gets stressful, but when it comes to the show, it’s worth it.”
Freshmen are also looking forward to the event, but are perhaps a little more anxious. “I’m a little nervous. I’ve been dancing since I was little, but is the first time here, so it’s a little nerve-wracking,” said freshman Tatiana Trapani.
Club meetings are held weekly, every Sunday, and consist of running through approximately 45 minutes of practice per dance. However, during the tech week, SRU Dance steps up their rehearsal. Tech week is the week before the show, and dancers rehearse every night, usually beginning around 8 p.m. and possibly lasting until midnight. These rehearsals run through the entire show during each practice. Afterwards, the choreographers can make the decision to run through their dance again if they feel it needs more work.
Over the summer or winter break, choreographers correspond to decide what styles they’d like to do for the upcoming semester. These include dance styles such as hip-hop, jazz, and ballet. This upcoming show will be featuring a lot of jazz dances and more upbeat numbers.
The show will be held at Rogers Recreation Center on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The charge for Saturday night will be a minimum donation of $1, and $5 for the Sunday matinee.
