Dylan Haviland – General Assignment Reporter
It was Jeff Manley’s solo performance in Act II, the dancer’s sweater was a vivid palette of pink and blue. His outfit, with the matching snapback was reminiscent of the style in the 90s. Manley then threw the audience back in time to a techno-infused version of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song, dancing across the stage to the piece he choreographed himself. His blend of hip hop dance moves were a homage to the popular show that ran until 1996.
Manley’s performance was a part of the Symphonic Pulse Dance Company’s “Throwback Thursday.” The student run dance company’s showcase focused on the songs, fashion and culture of the 90s and early 00s. They captured the nostalgia and artistic movements of the past decades through dance–both solo and full ensemble.
“The majority of us are 90s babies and it was a good time, so we just wanted to go back to that and show that music genre some love and show everybody that we can dance and what we can do,” said Timothy Troy, senior and psychology. “Even though we were still young, we still had that fire from the songs”
The full cast of students combined several forms of dancing into the two acts of the show. Each act would vary in dance style and music genre, each one forming a unique memory of the time periods they represented. The acts ranged from a ballet trio dancing to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” choreographed by Gabriella DiPreta to Eminem’s and Nicki Minaj’s “Roman’s Revenge” hip hop rendition choreographed by Darious Texira.
“Choreographing is interesting because it’s hard to teach your friends, because when I’m the choreographer I can’t be their friend, I have to be strict. Otherwise they won’t be doing things the way that they’re supposed to,” said Texira. “Every time it gets better and better and tonight nobody messed up, it was perfect.”
“Throwback Thursday” was also accompanied by several alumni that were formerly a part of the dance club.
Jess Kroll, philosophy and alumni, is one of the founders of the Symphonic Pulse Dance Company and was present in several tracks, including his part in “Happy in Love” choreographed by Tasiya Mia. The duet both donned matching outfits and showcased a wide range of flexible moves and fast paced dance movement, going from corner to corner on the stage.
“Our biggest challenge is putting everyone’s different styles together, and making sure they respect each other,” said Kroll. “Once we get here the reward is the feeling of being out here on stage.”
Kroll said that while there are many technically trained hip hop dancers on the team, he encourages incorporating different styles to make the club well adapted to other dances.
An impressive array of technicality towards different styles was shown by Jacinthe Bernard and Gabriella DiPreta who choreographed “Tom’s Diner,” a slow and fluid tap dance session, then both going on to dance in the hip hop infused “Let’s Get Loud.”
The showcase allowed students to implement their past dancing experience into the campus environment, with several dancers practicing years before “Throwback Thursday.”
Brielle Boutote, freshman and nursing major, had been dancing for fifteen years, and showed her talents through her duet “Buttons.”
“I get to perform in front of all my friends and family and show them all my hard work that I that I worked on this semester,” said Boutote. “I feel at home on stage. Performing is just something that I was meant to do.”
Photo Credit: Dylan Haviland