Those who saw — and loved — this year’s first Modern Dance Senior Concert will not be disappointed with the upcoming “Ultimate Dance Mix, Vol. 2.”
Although the U modern dance department seniors lead the senior concerts, the works themselves involve many dancers in other programs. The entire event is student-run. The department’s seniors planned and executed every detail — from preliminary auditions to choreography and publicity.
The seniors chose Natosha Washington, a U dance alumna, to choreograph the final piece. Working in a “50-50 joint effort,” Washington and her colleague Nicholas Cendese designed a brilliant finale set to a Daft Punk tune. This piece, which showcases the talents of most of the U’s senior dancers, is meant to bring the entire presentation together with a professional polish.
Cendese and Washington, both graduates of the U, formed the Raw Moves dance studio together. Their years of experience working together have helped them create a “very close team.”
Cendese recalled his own senior piece and the bad experiences he had when guest artists insisted on using their own moody, figurative interpretations of modern dance, which he felt didn’t accurately represent the experiences of a senior finishing four years of work.
This year, in a “big artistic finish,” Washington and Cendese emphasize that this dance number as representative of the community and camaraderie involved in a dance among friends. Cendese emphasized the purpose of these pieces as the seniors’ “celebration of their art and themselves.”
Mike TerryThe Modern Dance Senior Concert showcases dances performed and choreographed by U seniors. The performance opens tonight at 7