DanceWorks is getting ready to present its annual spring showcase just in time for Valentine’s Day. The organization is one of the largest student organizations at Syracuse University and will host their performances in Goldstein Auditorium this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.

Rob Bellman, a senior and one of the organization’s choreographers, said the dances will include hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, tap and lyrical. Regarding this year’s showcase, Bellman said this year’s theme, Feel The Heat, lives up to its name.

The showcase is months in the making for the dancers, who practice throughout the week for each musical number. Rehearsal often extends beyond regular studio time when learning new choreography. Depending on the number of dances each performer is in, their time spent in the studio can last several hours each week. Some may practice for several hours if they are in multiple dance numbers, said senior co-producer Eva Baldo.  

Alanna Sadler, a senior board member, said seeing this year’s freshmen become fully immersed in the organization can be attributed to the different dance styles they encompass in their program.

“I think people can tell from the outside that we’re all really close and that an incentive to be a part of it,” Sadler said, adding that and dancers develop close bonds with one another throughout the year.

Outside of rehearsals, performers and choreographers balance producing their spring show with the responsibilities of school and life. Even with all the outside pressures, Bellman said the dancers’ main goal is putting on the best show for a great audience.

“It’s such a nice space to just take away from school and take away from everything, to work on something that is uplifting for everybody,” Bellman said. “It’s been a hectic process, but a really inspirational process.”

The executive board, Baldo said, works hard to put the show together. Her own hourly commitment can vary in time commitments as well, as her duties include organizing, budgeting and other board-related duties.

Many of these performers start their rehearsal brainstorming ideas and finding inspiration for new moves they can bring to their choreography, Bellman said. Since this week is also their tech rehearsal week, he added that dancers will rehearse five to 10 hours in Goldstein Auditorium, learning how to adjust the spacing and choreography for that specific stage.  

When preparing for the show, Baldo said the dancers and executives have gone above and beyond to put on an amazing show, but challenges did present themselves.

“This year, we had to have the showcase two weeks earlier than it usually is. This might not seem like much, but that’s two weeks of rehearsals, planning and preparation gone,” Baldo said.

For many of the senior performers, like Baldo and Bellman, it will be the last show they put on for the organization. Senior Taylor Garlow, the president of DanceWorks, said organizing her final show has been bittersweet.

“It’s truly super overwhelming going through this process. Trying to get everything done, yet still making time to enjoy the process has been difficult to balance,” Garlow said. “Now that we’re getting close and closer to showtime, it’s been easier to enjoy my last show with DanceWorks.”

DanceWorks is excited for audiences to be immersed in the experience, Garlow said, and to get a glimpse of all the hard work they have put into the show. She hopes people resonate with the emotions of the dances, whether its feeling happy during an upbeat jazz dance or feeling an emotional connection while watching a contemporary piece.

“I’m most excited for people to feel what we feel while we’re dancing,” she said. “I want our audience to feel during this show, and leave feeling like they had an incredible experience.”

— Asst. Feature Editor Diana Riojas contributed reporting to this article.

Published on February 12, 2019 at 11:01 pm

Contact Ashley: asblanco@syr.edu