Over 250 people were treated to a spectacular show Friday and Saturday night by Alpha Psi Omega’s production of Dance Dance Revolution 2010 at the Little Theatre.
The mixture of dance styles ranged from ballet to hip-hop, and song selections from different genres culminated into a show everyone enjoyed.
The show was coordinated by junior Larisa Mar. She described putting the show together as the most “hardest and most rewarding experience ever.” The most important lesson she learned during the process was remembering to breathe, jokingly adding, “to constantly check your e-mails.”
Mar had to step into the role of director last Sunday when junior Caitlyn Mason, president of Alpha Psi Omega, had to relinquish her position as co-director due to personal issues. Mar spoke about the transition as being “tough” because Mason was not only her co-director, but her friend as well. They had been performing together in dance concerts since freshman year.
The show opened with an energetic performance of “Nobody Dances Anymore,” by Brandtson. Mar handpicked the performance to be the opener because it was one of her all-time favorite songs and she also helped choreograph the piece with Tim Young. The uptempo beats continued with a dance to the Pussycat Doll’s 2008 hit “When I Grow Up.”
The first surprise of the night came in the song “I’m Already There” by Lonestar. The song, which is a tribute to the men and women fighting overseas, drew some tears from those in attendance as the dancers moved gracefully across the stage.
“It was my favorite part of the show,” said freshman Caitlin Shannon.
“It was touching, really moving and the dancers captured the lyrics and feeling of the song.”
Mar said that one of her main goals for this project was to “make stories out of dances,” which was evident in performances of the very soulful “Hallelujah,” “Heard It On The Radio,” “I Wanna Be Ready” and “Arranca con Salsa.”
Freshman Stephanie Walsh, one of the dancers, said that the long practices allowed for great performances.
“We had stayed up till one or three in the morning for the past week and practiced on average of two hours each week for each dance routine,” she said.
Mason said that the show had been in planning since last December with auditions held late February.
“But a week before the show is when all the hard work gets put in,” she said.
Overall, the show was nothing short of spectacular.
“I was really impressed by the outcome of the show,” said Christine Rolston, a freshman.
“The diversity and the whole flow of the performances drew and kept my attention the whole time.”
