Living on and off The Dance Floor-final project by Cami Gore

When you attend a performance, what catches your eye? The lights? The costumes? The seemingly impossible movement performed by the dancers? What you do not have the chance to see is the endless hours of creating, rehearsing and hard work put out by dancers, technical crews and designers, all to create a magical experience for the audience. Here's a look both on and off stage of the University of Maryland's undergraduate dance majors preparing for their spring show, UMoves:

Welcome to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Dance majors have all of their major classes here and additional rehearsals afterwards. For UMoves, each piece rehearsed about 4 hours here per week all semester. The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is also home to the Dance Theatre where UMoves will be performed.
Not every dance major is given the opportunity to perform in the semester shows. Dancers are selected by audition. Consequently, dancers are encouraged to work extra hard in their technique classes. Sophomore dance major Nneka Onyima (left) gets extra help and feedback from the department's ballet teacher Mané Rebelo-Plaut (right). 





Freshman dance major Olivia Shamy removes her ballet slippers after class. She will only have a quick break from dancing, however, as she has to return to the Clarice for rehearsal for the piece she was casted in for UMoves titled "Sit Tight."



The UMoves Undergraduate Dance Concert is unique because all of the pieces are choreographed by students. Any dance major can audition a piece, but only a small number are chosen by the faculty to be performed. It all starts with inspiration.  This reading by Bryan Stevenson was me and my duet partner's primary motivation for creating our piece titled "Healing is not Linear."




Pre-rehearsal eats. Junior dance major Jemma Lehner, my duet partner, makes us a smoothie packed with protein to get us through a strenuous rehearsal.
Whether it be before rehearsal, class or a show, dancers must get their bodies warm to prevent injury. Junior dance major Atlas Hill jams to his music while stretching before the UMoves run through.
Lehner records a segment of every one of her rehearsals. After each practice, she likes to watch herself and take notes on what she can improve on and if anything needs to be changed.
Dancing on stage is a very different feeling than dancing in a studio. On April 22, 2019 dancers got time to practice in the Dance Theatre. Nana Edu (left) and Joe Gipson (right) rehearse Edu's piece titled "Situationship."
Dancing over 14 hours a week is pretty standard for a dance major. It absolutely takes a toll on the body. This is me icing my ankle/foot that has been bothering me. Like other injured dancers in the program, I am not seeking medical attention until after UMoves in fear of being told that I cannot perform.
While the choreographers are creating their movement, equal work is done by the costume designers to bring each dance to life. Junior dance major Sydney Lemelin sews in the costume shop at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Like Lemelin, many dance majors get involved in other aspects of production other than the performance itself.



Since the show is full of student work, director Adriane Fang allowed the students to pick the music played in the house before the show begins. Senior dance major Suzanne Creedon looks through her Spotify to find the perfect song to add to the list.
Tech week began on May 5, 2019. Tech week is a time to ensure all of the technical elements of the show are perfect. Dancers must have full hair and makeup done so the tech crew can see the full vision of each piece. Sophomore dance major Ryan Smith (right) gives sophomore dance major Marianna Kurban the perfect hair part using a pencil.
Shaina Patel puts on her makeup before performing her solo piece titled "Blame." Meanwhile, I attempt to take the perfect shot to advertise for the show.


Dancers dressed and ready for Brianna Nelson's piece titled "Assembly." From left to right: Hana Huie, Julia Smith, Sarah Przybocki, Brianna Nelson and Bayardo Martinez Cruz pose as Smith takes a mirror picture of the group.
UMoves dancers take the stage for the first time with costumes and lighting on May 5, 2019.  Senior dance major Joe Gipson presses into a handstand during Nana Edu's piece titled "Situationship."
Senior dance major Bayardo Martinez Cruz (back) presses Gipson (front) into a thigh lift during "Situationship." Choreographer Nana Edu says that the piece explores relationships in today's society, but is very much open to audience interpretation. 

From left to right: Brianna Nelson, Marianna Kurban, Lauren Waugh and Julia Smith run Smith's piece titled "Third Person" for the first time on stage with lighting and costumes. Smith said that the technical elements brought her piece to life just as she had hoped.

"We use the third person to describe others. She is witty. She is ambitious. She is a dancer. This piece is about being able to describe yourself in the third person. Could you step away from yourself and confidently describe the kind of person you are? Would you say you liked the person you were describing?" said Julia Smith on her piece titled "Third Person."






Angad Kalsi's dancers perform his third and final UMoves piece titled "-ion." The dancer in the foreground, Atlas Hill, said that working with Kalsi was a pleasure and that he will greatly miss his artistry in the program when he graduates this month.
Soon these UMoves flyers displayed in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center will be replaced with photographs from the show. UMoves opens this Friday and will run until Sunday. It has been a journey. We hope that you will join us.



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