newsFebruary 12, 2025
Photo Gallery: Students shine at Winter Dance Collection
SEMO's Winter Dance Collection dazzled audiences with student and guest choreography, showcasing diverse talents and cultural expressions. Highlights included pieces by Sabrina Naz and student Anesu Tarunona.
Winter Dance Collection, performed by students in SEMO’s dance program, was held in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall on Feb. 6th-9th.
The Winter Dance Collection is a collection of dances put together by the dance program, choreographed by students, staff and guest choreographers.
With multiple pieces choreographed by students and staff, the guest choreographer was Sabrina Naz, a first-generation Trinidadian-Romanian-Canadian dancer. Naz worked on the piece “Carry On! Carry On!”
Senior dance major and commercial multimedia double major Anesu Tarunona, who performed in “Carry On! Carry On!” is originally from Zimbabwe.
“It felt really good to express the history of Carribean dance. They were Africans who were taken away from home but still kept the livelihood of the spirit of Africa and the spirit of movement and dance and rhythm and drums. And to work with Sabrina Naz, she's an absolute blessing to work with,” Tarunona said.
One of the student choreographers was Alexia Land, a senior BA dance major, who choreographed a piece called “Destructive Dealings” with music from Billie Eilish’s new album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.”
“Going into college, I’ve always known I wanted to teach,” Land said. “But going through this process has shown me there’s more out there for me. I love teaching, it’s so fulfilling, but I also have become so fond of choreographing and I want to take this with me and pursue this as a career as well.”
Junior dance major Bella Earll performed in “Paquita,” staged by Alyssa Alger, “Destructive Dealings,” choreographed by Alexia Land and “Waving not Drowning,” choreographed by Philip Edgecolmb.
“I have been doing ballet for 10 years and pointe for nine years,” Earll said. “To be able to perform the classical ballet, ‘Paquita’, is really so special to me.”
An audience member, Virginia Cannizzaro, said after watching the closing night of the Winter Dance Collection, she was very impressed by how much work the dancers put in.
“The dancers were so graceful, it’s a testament to how much work t[the dancers] put in,” said Cannizzaro.
“Moving Perspectives” is the next production for the dance program. It will be held from March 20th through 22nd in Rust Flexible Theatre.
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