Dance is oftentimes an underappreciated art form, and is something that Loyola Marymount University makes sure to showcase. LMU Dance is a major program that allows students to work alongside dance professionals and envision a future where they can present positive change. As finals begin, the dance department ends the semester with a showcase on the Drollinger Family Stage where seniors have a chance to present their dance theses.
The 10 seniors created their own choreography and coupled it with backing soundtracks to bring them to life on stage. With other volunteer dancers in the LMU Dance program performing on stage to the seniors’ pieces, friends and family got to watch what their loved ones have been working towards for the past four years.
From ballet to contemporary, the seniors took the stage and danced their hearts out. With soundtracks featuring Bon Iver, Alanis Morissette, Outkast and even the dancers’ own voices, a collection of feelings were physically shown on stage through powerful duets and group dances. Themes of longevity, slowing down time, things beyond us, and aspects of life that are unable to be escaped, all moved the audience.
One theme was “finding the feeling,” where Kristine Pohle, senior dancer, used her dancers’ voices as background to encompass how it feels to be on stage doing what they love. “I realize that I did not fall in love with dance itself; rather, I fell in love with the feeling which dance provided me with,” Phole said. “The choreography is influenced by personal culture, dancers’ emotions and feelings and stylistic movements.”
In addition to the feelings conveyed the costumes added extra meaning to what the dance embodied. Simple black unitards, button-down shirts with ties, and a red dress popped out amidst the fellow dancers dressed in neutrals.
The vulnerability on stage illustrated the work the students put into their dances and brought to life their respective visions. Long hours spent in the studio rehearsing and composing, knowing they would have to move past the inevitable creative mental blocks and sacrifice the last of their college weekends to make these pieces amazing.
With the class of 2024 beginning their college experience during the COVID pandemic, the dancers had to find ways to adapt and make the most of their university experience. The process of figuring out how to teach and learn dance online bonded the students.
“I would say there were more moments of not knowing than knowing,” said Rosalynde LeBlanc Loo, Professor and Chair of LMU Dance. “But, we did it together; me and this class in our various cities just figuring it out.” The dedication to their dream was what the students and faculty had to keep in mind while navigating that period of time, and the hard work definitely paid off.
Dance demands discipline, perseverance and passion. All of which was seen and appreciated when watching dancers do what they do best: move people. “One of the most admirable qualities is to stick with your dream through thick and thin,” Loo continued. “And I think it’s clear that this class did just that.”
