This year’s annual Dance Eclectic made all your dreams come true. The show’s theme was Dreams, and took place Friday March 6th, and Saturday March 7th at 7:30 PM. With 11 student choreography pieces and 9 company works, this show highlighted the incredible talent, versatility, and artistry of the George School dance program. From personal solos to lively group numbers, Dance Eclectic provided a wide range of themes and emotions.
Student Choreography
One of the most exciting parts of the GS dance program is the opportunity for student choreographers to bring their ideas to life. The 11 student pieces reflect diverse perspectives, and highlight creativity. Each dance explored storytelling through movement in fresh new ways while also connecting emotionally with the audience. This year, there was a variety of styles that ranged from emotional contemporary numbers to upbeat hip hop dances. One of the most unique was a “James Bond like” solo choreographed and danced by LJ Faustin ‘27. In addition, a haunting duet was performed by seniors Kezi Skeete and Priya Teli. Kezi choreographed this dance and shared about her process,“For me, my choreographic process is usually based on symmetry and emotion from the songs I pick to the moves that I arrange. I usually tend to go to movements that mimic each other.” Priya and Kezi also shared that this was their first time duetting on stage over the past 4 years with the GS Dance Company. In addition, they ended the first half of the show with a sweet duet they created together about their friendship titled “Sparks”. Kezi said about this dance, “this is our senior year and we want to tell a story told that our friendship for the time when we first met in Westwood to how we grew together in the dance studio, and how we continue to grow as seniors and how we’re so thankful for the time that we have here with each other.” Student Choreography gave the performers the opportunity to dance, lead, collaborate, and express themselves in a way that added a unique perspective to the performance.
Company Work
The company pieces this year were choreographed by dance teacher Gracie Coscia-Collins, united by the theme of Dreams. Although not all of these dances feature the entire company, they represent the full spectrum of imagination people explore while sleeping. The showcase featured two stunning solos from dancers Kezi Skeete ‘26 and Priya Teli ‘26. These two pieces explore different kinds of feeling, while keeping the dreamlike atmosphere. Kezi’s solo was the precursor to a company dance, titled “Dreamland’’, which explored the sweet and youthful aspect to our dreams. There was also a piece that captures the strange and surreal elements of dreaming. The dancers laid in a circle, and were projected onto the back of the stage from above. Their arms and legs rippled and moved in sync, adding to the sometimes unexplainable nature of dreams. The other group dances followed a more eerie perspective. “Nightmare” explored the common fear of being chased, which often appears in our nightmares, and the dynamic lifts within the dance showcased the physicality of these dancers. “Nightmare” is a technically powerful and emotionally moving piece that kept audiences on the edge of their seats.
Film Collaboration
This year’s Dance Eclectic had another exciting element, a collaboration with the film students. Together, the dancers and filmmakers created a comedic music video, based on the idea of an anxiety dream. The video follows Genesis Wyatt ‘27 as she wakes up starring in a music video, however this music video wouldn’t exactly end up on MTV. Various large and unexplainable pieces of food also seem to be involved in the dancing.
A very anxious piece of cake can’t get the choreography, a piece of cheese seems to think it’s performing a ballet, and an ear of corn is just so sad. However, the real star is the milk, at least it seems to think so. It pushes Genesis as it fights for the spotlight. Unfortunately for all the food, it was all just a very vivid dream.
Photo illustrating the music video collaborating with the film students starring Genesis Wyatt ‘27, photo credit: GS Communications
There was also another film collaboration, with a slightly eerie tone. This film features Ava Quinby ‘28 as she dances with a film created by Allie Betancourt ‘26 and April Hernandez ‘26. This piece, titled “Lucid” follows Ava as she explores her dream through dance. Ava said, “I think the collaboration film was an interesting idea. It was hard to tell what the finished product would turn out to be, and it looked nothing like what I’d imagined.” The film was edited to have Ava overlapping herself while dancing, or have her mirror herself. This creates the familiar feeling of a confusing and strange dream. The idea of a lucid dream was also explored as Ava danced on stage while this video plays in the background. She shared, “The most fun part for me was dancing and swinging live for the show.” This project ended with Ava looking backwards at the video from the swing, the final representation of the out of body experience the film is meant to display.
Overall, this year’s Dance Eclectic was one of my personal favorites. As a member of the GS Dance Company myself I loved watching these shows come together. The student choreography was stunning as always. The theme of Dreams really tied it all together beautifully. Each dance felt familiar, yet unique. These dancers are so incredibly talented, it’s a shame if you missed it.
