DalDance shows off skills in annual recital

It was the biggest crowd show co-ordinator Elizabeth White, a fourth-year marine biology student, had seen in her four years of involvement with the DalDance Society. 

On March 22, attendees packed the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium for Just Dance, the DalDance society’s end-of-year recital. The show lasted about two hours and featured over 30 group and solo dance numbers.

DalDance is a student-run society that offers recreational dance classes of various styles and skill levels. 

Before the show began, Lauren Harris, the society’s president and a fourth-year medical sciences student, and Ella Power, DalDance vice-president and a fourth-year neuroscience and chemistry student, spoke to the audience about what the society means to them. 

Harris said she’s been involved in dance since childhood. Her mom signed her up for classes after she broke one too many lamps dancing around the house to Madonna. When she got to university, she was scared that meant giving up on dance. 

“That hasn’t happened because of DalDance,” said Harris. “Instead, I not only got to continue enjoying an art form I have been passionate about my whole life, but I actually got to grow and improve my skills … For all of us, dance is our safe space, a challenge, the highlight of our week, and most importantly, family.” 

On that note, the show began. The first number was an advanced jazz group set to a mash-up of 2000s Rihanna songs, including “Please Don’t Stop The Music” and “Only Girl in the World.” The disco ball hanging from the ceiling spun as the dancers exited the stage, and the audience erupted into applause. 

Another stand-out sequence from the show was the eighth number of the night: an Indian classical dance solo by Gopika Gopakumar. The performance was high-energy, full of confidence and impressive choreography. Gopakumar’s costume was gorgeous and perfectly flattered the soloist’s movements. 

Later on in the night, beginner tap dancers took the stage for a Charli XCX and Troye Sivan mash-up number. While I appreciated the choreography, the club classic was not done justice. When the smell of poppers didn’t fill the air, it became clear the music was performed in the wrong context. 

The intermediate jazz group’s “Hung Up” number was one of my favourite performances of the night. The group entered the stage in sparkly purple tank tops, which I assumed was a reference to Madonna’s “Hung Up” music video. While a fun reference, I wish they had committed more fully to the original pink leotard look. 

The final number was perfectly executed. As “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga played, a small group of dancers performed a few minutes of choreography. It quickly transitioned into all the dancers entering for bows. 

Over the course of the song, dancers took over the stage. I was stunned by how many people it took to pull off this production, and after the bows, the dancers broke into a group number of casual, celebratory dancing. 

As the recital came to a close, emotions ran high. Harris and Power handed out flowers to all the choreographers responsible for the night’s numbers, and organizers thanked all the members for a wonderful year. 

“To all of our dancers, thank you so much. We really couldn’t do this without you,” said White. 

Dalhousie Gazette editor-in-chief, Jenna Olsen, was hired to photograph DalDance’s dress rehearsal. She did not contribute to the reporting of this piece.