Senior Recital Shows Seven Deadly Sins
By Philip Sykes
The senior recital is more than just a collection of dances: It is a story told by the choreographer.
This fall, senior Lindsay Wakayama presented Seven, a compilation of dances based on the seven deadly sins and virtues. Wakayama's recital began with a solo, and added more dancers to each successive piece
"As a senior myself, I've been in three recitals before this, but this year we felt so close, perfecting everything so we could have this great performance for the audience," said dancer Rosie Ortega.
Senior recitals are a quintessential component of the Theater and Dance Department's fall lineup.
Senior dance majors stage approximately 30 minutes of original choreography in either a fall or spring exhibit, showcasing the dance talents of their peers at the Fess Parker Studio Theater.
The choreographer and dancers have just over four weeks to create a little over half an hour's worth of movement.
"It's always incredible how quickly they can put it all together," said sophomore dancer Megan Barret.
Each dance appeared carefully choreographed to showcase the talents of the individual performers.
The third piece, "Give and Take," featured the strong balletic talents of Natalie Kelly, Katie Sells, and Mary Zieber.
"Give and Take" was juxtaposed by the fiery "Irresistible Temptation" dance. The piece, based on the sin of lust, featured dancers Ada Chibukhchyan, Savannah Foltz-Colhour, Erin Lafferty, and Nick Manfredi.
Other notable dances addressed issues such as envy, anger or pride.
"It's hard to explain, but everything ended up coming together so well,"said Wakayama. "All my dancers stood behind me and made the show strong all three nights." .
Senior recitals will be shown again in the spring, with a showcase by the other graduating senior dance majors. In addition, many of them will be choreographing for the upcoming Choreographer's Gallery.
The Gallery, which will be showing Nov. 29-30, features original works from students within the choreography class. The dances are all performed by current students and presented in the Mayer Theater.
Contact Philip Sykes at psykes@scu.edu.