UVM dance company to perform fall recital

Dancers will hit the stage in Southwick later this month.

The Orchesis Dance Company will be hosting its annual Fall Showcase Nov. 12 in Patrick Gym.

When Orchesis was originally formed in the ‘60s, it focused on contemporary dance, junior co-president Suma Lashof said.

Today, the group incorporates a number of different styles, including modern, jazz, tap and musical theater, she said.

orchesisIn addition to the dances, the show will also feature guest performances from the Catamount Dance Crew, Celtic Cats, the Hoop Troop, Ballet Viridis, Jazbaa and the Top Cats, co-president junior Kira Wollensak said.

“It’s a more diverse show this time,” Wollensak said.

This is the first of two recitals Orchesis holds annually. The focus of the fall performance is typically the incoming members, of which there are five this semester, Wollensak said.

“They get to create their own dance and their own debut,” she said. “It’s a celebration of them.”

For the most part, the club’s activities are structured around these recitals. Sundays are reserved for the collective finale, and “during the week we practice each individual dance,” Lashof said.

Though the focus is on self-choreographed solos, many members, such as Lashof, enjoy the group experience of the company, she said.

“We all get so close,” Lashof said, “and it’s such a special feeling to dance with other people who have the same passion as you.”

The company loves getting the audience passionate about their work, too, she said.

“When the audience gets really involved, it’s so much fun,” she said. “We definitely feed off the energy of the audience.”

The Orchesis Fall Showcase will be held Nov. 12 in Patrick Gym. There will be two showings at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at a discounted rate for students.