During their first year in the Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance, they studied improvisation to step outside of their comfort zones.
By sophomore year, they enrolled in composition classes. Junior year they studied choreography. Now as seniors, they will put on their own final show.
The graduating seniors of the dance department will present their senior concert, “Exit Notes,” at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Whikehart Auditorium at the Ivy Tech John Waldron ?Arts Center.
The 18 pieces are split up into two groups, A and B. Group A will perform 3 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Group B will perform 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
“Exit Notes” is a presentation of what the seniors have learned.
“We were debating on what to call the show, and we wanted it to be a representation of our four years at IU,” senior dance student Alyssa Condotti said. “These pieces are exit notes leaving college.”
Each senior choreographs a piece and teaches it to the dancers they select to be in their group. In addition, they coordinate the lighting, advertising, programs and costumes.
Through the program, the seniors get to know more dancers in the department, including underclassmen, because they choose dancers for their pieces, Condotti said.
Many of the younger dancers participate in not only the choreographed pieces but also help out with other parts of the show.
Sophomore Madeline Logan is dancing in a piece by senior Mante Baliutaviciute called “Tessellate.”
The choreography is based off the phrase, “The smaller the degree of difference, the more we notice the difference.”
The movements are repeated throughout the dance and changed slightly to highlight the small differences, Logan said.
The group has been rehearsing until 11 p.m. a few nights a week, sometimes starting at 9 a.m. the next day.
Condotti said the hardest part for the dancers is trying to embody the vision the choreographer has for their piece.
“As a choreographer, the biggest difficulty is to not judge yourself too harshly for what you’re putting out there,” Condotti said. “For a lot of us, it’s the first time we’ve choreographed. You just can’t be afraid to try it.”
Tickets for the show are free and distributed on a first come, first serve basis.
“We want people to come and see athletes moving on stage and being creative,” Condotti said. “A lot of the pieces are dance for the sake of dance.”
