PAC show highlights student talent

By JULIANE KIM

The Performing Arts Club put on their 2015 spring Small Show the Wednesday before spring break in Dodd Auditorium.

Multiple groups performed a menagerie of different dances with a diversity of styles ranging from a Christian praise dance routine to a Harry Potter inspired tap dance.

Junior theater major Elizabeth Kump was enthusiastic about the performances.

“I loved it. All the performances were fantastic,” said Kump. “The beginning and end were especially strong, but my favorite one was the ‘In This Shirt’ one. I felt it was very poignant, and I enjoyed its simplicity and clean choreography as well.”

UMW Eagle Bhangra, which performed first, put on a show that was vibrant and colorful in both motion and attire. The Indian folk dance, from the Punjab region, was especially popular with the audience, garnering cheers and applause even before the dance began.

The last performance, which was also very well received, was called “Expecto Patronum,” in reference to a protective spell from the Harry Potter franchise. The routine was singular in its creative theme, and the dancers came on stage wearing robes and carrying wands. The tap dance was done to a dubstep remix of the Harry Potter theme song by Herk and ended with a line of dialogue from the “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” film.

Many of the other dances in the itinerary were more abstract, most notably a few interpretive dances. One in particular, a performance called “The Long Journey,” was performed by seniors and was especially well executed in the complex choreography of the dancers as a whole.

The only solo performance of the Small Show was by Jocelyn Edwards, who choreographed her own routine, “Talk It Up.” Using elements of both ballet and hip-hop, Jocelyn wowed the audience with graceful high jumps and pirouettes to a modern beat.

Another performance, “A Little Latin Dance Break,” was particularly interesting in that it incorporated a story into the dance. The story behind the dance is that the choreographer, Julianna Saracho, was inspired by her summer internship where she would take dance breaks in order to recharge. The dance began at an office table, and then broke out into a Latin-influenced hip-hop dance.

The spring Small Show was an amazing demonstration of the talent of PAC, and an entertaining showcase of UMW’s students’ passion and creativity as a whole.