By Dane Leary

Crunch time.

Papers are due, finals are coming up and both hands are full.

Now, imagine adding to your already-sizeable burden the responsibility of managing a full-length dance concert with 11 different dances and no professionals or teachers to help you.

Kendall Rathunde, Caitlin Green and Rachel Lear have undertaken the task of bringing students’ works to the stage in this year’s Student Concert.

These three dance gurus are responsible for auditioning student works, arranging the pieces into a well-polished concert, handling promotion and managing lights, music and rehearsal schedules. Sometimes the students work with equipment that is older than the dancers themselves.

And they have no help from their mentors.

“You really get to experience the nerves on the other side of the production,” Rathunde said. “Being a dancer, you don’t always think about what the managers and stagehands are going through.”

“If you mess up on a move in a dance, it is smaller than if you mess up the music or lights — that affects everyone on stage,” Green said.

The three control the lights and music in the department’s studio, which is equipped with curtains, speakers and performance lights. Raised seating platforms are brought in for the audience, creating a black box that narrows the gap between performers and spectators.

“The space isn’t as intimidating for an audience,” Rathunde said. “We hope people that don’t normally come to dance performances feel more comfortable.”

The show will be artistically lighter than most modern dance performances. Student Concert’s comical numbers provide a seldom-seen glimpse into the ways in which comical styling affects storytelling.

“This has given us a chance to do great work and gain strong skills in stress management,” Lear said.

All of the hard work will pay off this week, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Marriott Center for Dance. Tickets are $4 for students and $5 for general admission and are available at the door. Seating is limited.

Lennie Mahler

Sara Christensen and Lindsey Drury perform “Is This Love Bombing?,” choreographed by Corinne Coppelletti, at the Marriott Center for Dance on Wednesday. U modern dance undergraduates are hosting a concert running from April 12 to 14 beginning at 7