Bella Fletchall, left, Sasha Trubitsyna, center, and Sawyer Shepardson perform the dance “Unharvested” during the University of Colorado Boulder Dance’s FRESH at the Charlotte York Irey Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Boulder’s Department of Theater and Dance presented the final night of its student-choreographed fall dance show FRESH to a packed theater on Saturday, Dec. 9.
A total of nine pieces showcased the individual talents and artistry of the cast. The excitement for the student-created pieces was palpable as many performers received shouts and cheers upon entering the stage.
Despite the individuality of each piece, all dancers showed they were willing to embrace the absurdity and extremism of the emotions in their performances.
Sam Blagg and Devon Beckum, in their comically cheerful duet to Harry Styles’ “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” wore bright pink and blue suits and flashed smiles at the audience between their mock disagreements on stage.
Devon Beckum, left, and Sam Blagg perform a dance that they choreographed titled “Gender Reveal and the Back Up Dancers” in the Charlotte York Irey Theater on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
“I just wanted to [bring out] joy,” said Beckum, a junior in the dance department. “… I just wanted people to laugh and have a good time.”
Other performers used the space to exhibit their solo work.
Angela Gumieniak, an undergraduate dance student, performed first with headphones on to a silent background and entered again with full energy and music. She said she was inspired by the concept of marking in dance, where dancers practice their work with mild enthusiasm before going “full out.”
“I had a teacher who one of his quotes was always ‘If the audience feels like the dance is familiar, then they tend to react differently to it,” Gumieniak said. “So then I wondered what layering the piece on top of itself in different versions would do.”
Experimentation played a major role in the show. In their piece, Sasha Trubitsyna, Sawyer Shepardson and Bella Fletchall were bathed in a haunting white light as they translated the jarring collage of sounds of Hajj’s “Burning Illusions” into movement.
Sasha Trubitsyna balances on Bella Fletchall during the performance of the dance “Unharvested” at CU Boulder Dance’s FRESH at the Charlotte York Irey Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
“I feel like we were mostly focused on the energy we were bringing to the piece,” said Trubitsyna, an undergraduate student studying dance and biology, “not that much on the story we were telling because we just wanted everybody to get their [own] ideas and thoughts.”
This free-flowing exchange of ideas between the audience and performers enhanced the honesty and sincerity of the show. Undergraduate student Elizabeth Ervin performed a piece entitled “The Other Creature,” in which she watched her body seemingly move against her will with a pained expression as if she was portraying the demanding nature of her art form.
Elizabeth Ervin performs the dance “The Other Creature” choreographed by Devin Garza during CU Boulder Dance’s Fresh at the Charlotte York Irey Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
The final and only faculty-choreographed piece was a dynamic “freestyle” performed by six of the cast members. As the dancers transitioned into more energetic Hip-hop, they cheered each other on, garnering shouts from the audience as they took turns in the dance circle, or “cypher.”
University of Colorado Boulder Dance students perform the dance “Freestyle Continuum” by Rennie Harris during FRESH on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
At the end, performers encouraged audience members to donate to the Dance Discretionary Fund, which helps students attend the American College Dance Association conference in the spring.
Audience members clap after all of CU Dance’s FRESH performances had concluded on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Anna Pillot, the director of dance production, said this was the most heavily attended show of the semester. FRESH premieres in both fall and spring, inviting graduate and undergraduate students, regardless of major, to submit their pieces for a chance to perform.
“The flow of the show, I think, is really special. There’s a lot of variety, a lot of different numbers of groups…” Pillot said. “This show is unique because we never know what it’s going to be until it’s happening.”
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Ann Marie Vanderveen at ann.vanderveen@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Visuals Editor Clementine Miller at clementine.miller@colorado.edu.
