GVSU Dance Company students prepare for final bow during senior recital

Graduating members of the Grand Valley State University Dance Company are choreographing some of their final collegiate performances to showcase during their senior dance recital, “Existence.”

“Senior Dance Concert: Existence”
November 14 and 15 at 7 p.m.
Performing Arts Center, room 1600, Allendale Campus

Five senior dance students have been collaborating to choreograph solo performances featuring themselves, as well as one group piece featuring fellow dance students. Seniors Shelby Chambers, Charlie Clark, Shelby Gigliotti, Audrey Holt and Dan Wentworth will be the featured senior choreographers for “Existence.”

“We decided all the details of the show as a group to try to make sure no one feels singled out,” Holt said. “Each person’s opinion is as valued as the next. We’ve been a strong group of friends since the start of our time at GVSU and that strong friendship has backed us up during this crazy semester.”

Each student choreographer found inspiration from various sources for their individual pieces, and Holt specifically found her inspiration from athletic movements.

“The dancers have a sense of struggle throughout the piece, which I attempted to reflect with quick, sporadic movement,” Holt said.

Holt said because each senior aimed to maintain their own personal aesthetics in their performances, audience members may find themselves reacting to different emotions, including stress, relief, struggle and happiness.

“Each piece uses different concepts and movement qualities to evoke different emotions within the audience,” Holt said. “People should expect to be surprised by the talent of the choreographers and the dancers.”

As seniors, Holt said these performances will be bittersweet and filled with intense emotions.

“I feel like this show, that I’ve been anticipating since my freshman year, came a lot quicker than I had expected,” Holt said. “It’s hard to believe that all of this work over the years, and especially this semester, will soon be done. It’s also very unreal to think that this is the last time some of my fellow students and I will perform together on stage. We’re all set out for different paths from here on out.”

The November 15 performance will close with a celebratory banquet located in the Performing Arts Center room 1515.

For more information, contact Audrey Holt at [email protected].