BEHIND THE MASK:

Unfortunately during the pandemic, we have not been able to see the faces behind these talented people.  Here are the dancers behind the mask!

Rachell Gamache

    1. How long have you been dancing?

14 years

2.  What is your favorite genre?

Jazz and Contemporary 

         3.  What is your favorite thing about dancing?

    I love to dance because I feel free. I don’t have to hold anything back and I can freely let my emotions out without question or judgment.

4.  What has been your favorite experience throughout this process so far?

    Finally seeing everything we’ve been doing come together as a whole piece and the fact that I can dance with other people on the stage. 

5. Anything else you would like me to include?

    The pandemic has done a lot for me regarding dance. It took a lot away from me my senior year of high school but at the same time, it gave me a brand new experience. Going into college is a new experience on its own but with masks, it’s a whole new level. I am glad that I connected with everyone the way I did because even though we have to stay away from each other and have to wear masks, everyone still connected and came together as one family with no issues or hesitations.

Annalisa Palla

   1. How long have you been dancing?

17 years

   2.  What is your favorite genre?

hip hop

3.  What is your favorite thing about dancing?

    Dancing automatically makes me feel better no matter what mood I am in at the time. I always feel relieved and less stressed after a class or performance. 

  4.  What has been your favorite experience throughout this process so far?

    Throughout this piece, my favorite experience has been the formation of putting all of the separate phrases into one big piece. At first, I was confused with how the piece would come out because the choreography seemed to separate. Now that the piece is together, it is interesting to look back on how it was before. 

    The pandemic impacted my life within dance negatively as I was a senior in the class of 2020. I had not known the year before that would be my last time ever competing with my team and it is something I will always get emotional about when thinking back to it. On the positive side, it has been interesting seeing what I can create without having the ability to dance closely to one another or use physical touch. It implied a new challenge that has pushed me past my limits as a choreographer and dancer. 

5.  Anything else you would like me to include?

    Something that I have been struggling with within dance this semester is being creative. It has always come naturally to me but because there is a lot of direction in movement during class and rehearsals, I seem to get stuck. I then try to just put music on and move and the stress of not being able to create goes away.

Samantha Parks

      1. How long have you been dancing?

16 years

      2.  What is your favorite genre?

Lyrical dance/contemporary

3.  What is your favorite thing about dancing?

    My favorite thing about dancing is the way it makes me feel. I am able to put my emotions into the movements and use it as a form of stress relief, especially in times of anxiety. 

4.  What has been your favorite experience throughout this process so far?

    My favorite experience throughout this process so far has actually been our full-day Saturday rehearsals. I feel like this gave us time to really bond as a cast and grow closer, as well as focus on technique and cleaning up the piece. 

     5.  Anything else you would like me to include?

    The pandemic has put a hinder on how I am used to dancing. Masks definitely make it a lot harder to breathe during the piece and since I have a tendency to hold my breath when I dance, having a barrier has made my stamina a lot lower. It’s also hard not being able to be close to the other dancers since I am so used to being right next to or touching my peers in pieces. It definitely is a strange feeling to have to be so spaced out the entire piece. I hope our hard work and time commitment (it’s been hard) is evident in the show!!

Lindsay Gibbons

1. How long have you been dancing?

  17 years

2.  What is your favorite genre?

Jazz and Modern

         3.  What is your favorite thing about dancing?

    My favorite part about dancing is the musicality. I really like letting the music take me on a journey somewhere else.

    4.  What has been your favorite experience throughout this process so far?

    I like being the outside eye, because it gives me a chance to see how other choreographers work. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own versions of making and creating that we don't think about other ways to work. Being on the outside has definitely made me consider other ways or working and creating.

  5.  Anything else you would like me to include?

    The pandemic has really shifted the way dance works. First, we can only have a limited number of people in the theatre, which is disappointing and can shift how the piece is performed. Since we have to maintain 6 feet of distance, we also can't touch each other. This is difficult in creating work, because it limits so much of the partner work, formations and relationships we can do. Corrections in dance often involve a teacher touching and adjusting your body a lot of the time. Since this is obviously not possible right now, all corrections have to be verbal, which can be really challenging at times. Dancing in a mask has also proved to be extremely difficult, especially during intense, aerobic work.

Samantha Witham

     1. How long have you been dancing?

Dancing 19+ years

        2.  What is your favorite genre?

I do not have a favorite genre because I like to experience new styles. However, I have been practicing modern dance most consistently over the last four years so that feels most comfortable in my body. 

 3.  What is your favorite thing about dancing?

    I love the therapeutic quality that dance possesses and the fact that it gives me another tool to express myself creatively. Dance is like a fun puzzle for my body.

        4.  What has been your favorite experience throughout this process so far?

    I have enjoyed being able to dance in person again for a live show after a semester of virtual work. I am excited to be a part of a live production process again.

      5.  Anything else you would like me to include?

    

    I think the pandemic has left me exhausted in ways I never knew I could be. It has been challenging to find ways to be motivated when the world is in limbo but dance has grounded me and has been a constant throughout this last year. I think the pandemic has allowed me to appreciate dance more.

Grace Lonergan

  1. How long have you been dancing?

    I have been dancing almost 8 years

          2.  What is your favorite genre?

    My favorite genre of dance is modern dance! 

        3.  What is your favorite thing about dancing?

    My favorite thing about dancing is the feeling of going through a completed work. Especially something as long as the piece Cynthia has us doing this year. It feels like a journey that I take every time I do it, yet each time is somehow different. 

        4.  What has been your favorite experience throughout this process so far?

My favorite experience through this process so far has been the times we took to talk with each other at the start, to share personal stories and bond as a group. 

         5.  Anything else you would like me to include?

    

     The pandemic halted dance completely for everyone for a while. It was a really hard hit for the performing arts. Even though we tried to do things virtually it was never the same working that way. We rely on physical contact and togetherness, dance doesn’t provide what we need it to from a distance. Although we have had fun creating films and even short videos from a distance, I miss live performance more and more every day.

The word mask is so prominent in our lives and way of living but it should not restrict the art and happiness in our lives, these dancers proved that!

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT:

(ALL PHOTOS WERE TAKEN BY WILL WROBEL)

Samantha Witham:

         

         

Lindsay Gibbons:

                                                   

      

Grace Lonergan: