EA Dance Concert amazes audiences

Josephine Buccini ’21
Mary Cipperman ’21

Last Friday, February 8, the EA Upper and Middle School dance teams performed in the annual Dance Concert. It featured four faculty choreographers and over eighty students.

The show this year included eleven student-choreographed solos and duets. Ms. Cara Lavallee, dance director, says, “A lot more juniors and seniors came out to do features. We had more new fresh voices presenting their choreography in the show.”

A notable addition to dance team this year was also the Upper School’s new choreographer, Ms. Geri Omni. She choreographed three of the show’s dances; “Finesse,” “River,” and “Sound & Color.”  Many Upper School students commented that they loved working with her and learning from a new perspective. Morgan Rees ‘21 states, “she obviously brings in lot of new ideas and choreography.” Librarian Ms. Alison King also became the Middle School assistant choreographer this year.

The show featured several standout performances.

One number incorporated the drum line, a group of students that play cadences for sports events and pep rallies at EA. For the concert, the drummers played for an energetic number named “Social Dance.” Yvonne Chen ‘21, one of the members, comments that EA Arts feels “like a family.” She adds, “It’s really cool to be able to work with the dancers.”

Upper School students closed the first act with remarkable performance to Bruno Mars’ “Finesse.” Lily Buckley ‘20 closed the dance with a back-flip and a split.

The dance team’s nine seniors performed the final number, “Farewell.” The lyrical piece included acrobatics and ballet-inspired movements, ending the show with a beautiful and emotional goodbye to EA Dance. Technical theatre teacher Ms. Kelly Leight-Bertucci also helped choreograph this memorable dance, particularly helping with the acrobatics.

The Dance Concert engaged and amazed the audience. Amit Tangri, an EA parent says, “I think one of the things I really liked was the coordination. I think the kids are really working hard.” Student Alyssa Sheffy ‘19 adds, “I think the dance concert is so cool. It’s nice to see everyone do their solos and really express themselves.”

It was likewise a positive experience for the dancers. Middle School student Claudia Geczy ‘24 comments, “The dance team in middle school is really inclusive. My favorite dance is ‘I Will Survive’ because it’s really fun and upbeat.” Dancer Kaleigh Criville ‘24 also comments on the positive environment at EA Dance: “I love dance because it’s really fun and all my friends do it.’”

Behind the scenes, Jay Famelletti ‘19 and Alex Peters ‘19 managed dance team, both taking on the role just this year. They operated the light and sound boards. Not only did the show give students a unique opportunity to showcase their dance skills, but it featured the original lighting design of seven students.

Sona Bardakjian ‘21, a member of the dance team, says, “I feel like the dance concert is different than a musical or an instrumental performance because it’s what the students and Mrs. Lavallee choreographed themselves. It’s not a premade material.” She adds, “The students are the art, and the students created the art.”