May 16, 2019
2 mins read

REVIEW: Danceworks’ ‘Divergency’ Takes Up A New Stage

Ricky Vazquez solo/ Lesly Guzman/ el Don news

The room was pitch black. The murmuring voices of the crowd grew silent. White smoke began to shoot out from the bottom of the stage as dim orange lights began to appear, giving off a sort of eerie feeling.

She was choking herself. Her fingers around her neck squeezing to the point that you see the veins in her neck. Her eyes looking up in agony.

Distorting her body, another girl crawled out from the other side of the stage smacking the stage’s floor with her hands to move forward. She began to laugh ominously.

A girl in a light baby blue shirt began to walk slowly across the stage faintly singing “What A Wonderful World” while looking forward, expressionless. She stopped at the right corner of the stage and began to scratch herself, twitch, and breathe heavily. A group of four girls creep from behind Fuller and begin to yell at her.

“Nobody cares! Nobody f****** cares! Stop! Stop it! Look at her! Stop! Stop! Stop!,” the girls yelled with judgemental eyes. Then it went black.

Julie Fuller lifted up in “Limbo”/ Lesly Guzman/ el Don News

At Santa Ana College’s annual Danceworks concert on May 10, student choreographers had the opportunity to express their own individual dance styles and share their works in a new stage.

The event was composed of eleven dance pieces varying from contemporary, jazz, salsa and hip hop. Some were theatrical, emotional, fun, and even uncomfortable, but some were more about dancing techniques.

Female dancer in “Alive”/ Lesly Guzman/ el Don News
Female salsa dancers in “Ritmo Y Sabor”/ Lesly Guzman/ el Don News

“Limbo”, by student-choreographer Ricky Vasquez, addressed mental illness. This piece was impactful to the audience, so much so that some of the audience cried while others had to look away for the uncomfortableness that they felt from watching this piece.

READ MORE:  Don Mariachi rehearses with pride

“I told them to be less than a human, more like creatures, non-human. I wanted to show pain in all its forms in this piece, Limbo,” said Vazquez in the post-questionnaire meeting with the audience.

Despite the emotional rollercoaster, two of the eleven pieces, “Mortier” and “Hive,” were performed at the distinguished American College Dance Association — Baja region, a prestigious organization where dancers perform pieces and get critiqued by professionals.

Mary Leopo being picked up by Ricky Vazquez in “Hive”/ Lesly Guzman/ el Don News

This was a major accomplishment for the dance department has given much motivation to the students because they were highly praised by at the ACDA.

“I am very proud of all the students hard work,” said Heather Gillette, the Dance Department Chair, at the post-performance discussion. “With all the hours summed up, they spent slightly over 24 hours creating, teaching, and practicing their choreography pieces. Some dancers even learned more than one choreography.”

Ana Cordova, an attendee at the show, enjoyed her time at the event. “Some of the performances were interesting. Some were very mysterious and almost scary, but most were fun to watch,” Cordova said.

Previous Story

Moreno Season Performance Overcomes Regional Stumble

Next Story

REVIEW: Big Band Dazzles Guests with Sounds of the Blues

Latest from Blog

Baseball – 20110308 – Fullerton

Author Recent Posts Lesly Guzman Latest posts by Lesly Guzman (see all) Free COVID-19 Testing at Santa Ana College - September 1, 2020 Don’t be too proud to use a food pantry.

Dracula adaptation explores female ambition

Santa Ana College’s Theatre Department presented the new play Dracula on Oct. 11-13 with dark illusions and chilling whispers designed to thrill.  Andrea Decker and Wyn Moreno, wife-and-husband co-writers, reframed Bram Stoker’s
Go toTop

Don't Miss

“Vivid Images in Motion” is the biggest dance concert since COVID-19

Collaborations from outside dance companies made this fall semester the
group of dancers

IN PHOTOS: SAC dance department celebrates the music of Michael Jackson in “DanceWatch”

In early November, the SAC dance department presented a Michael