Orchesis dance ensemble stages exhilarating showcase at Riviera

Dance seems to always captivate the admiration and attention of numerous people. 

By reaching with imploring arms to the sky, lifting one leg in an elegant and humbling bow or stomping in passion, dancers touch our souls by relating to our emotions. They mimic feelings of the real world through their powerful form of art. 

Geneseo’s Orchesis dance club called on us to feel joy, pain and passion during their fall 2017 showcase on Nov. 17 and 18 at the Riviera Theatre. Fourteen separate dance acts delivered widely different, but equally impressive, performances for a packed auditorium of adoring community members and students.

Orchesis is a student-run dance organization, and every dance performed is student-choreographed. With more than 300 members, Orchesis is the largest organization on-campus. The group prides itself in accepting members of all talent and skill levels as well as encouraging students at the beginning of each semester to join and perform within a dance group.

During their showcase at the Riviera Theatre, dance style varied from group to group. Gymnast-like stunts, tap dancing, interpretive gestures, ballet and even popular modern moves were some of the styles incorporated into the dances.

The group performing to “Sing” by Ed Sheeran danced a lively tap number, and had their feet pounding on the stage in unison. Audience members could feel the floor shaking as they watched, buzzing with the energy of the performers. 

Another group performed to “Already Gone” by Sleeping at Last, which they made hauntingly graceful and with morose gestures through ballet-style dancing. Spectators were left shaken by the group’s portrayal of an intriguingly sad scene.

At the end of the show, Orchesis officers took to the stage in a creative dance that brought Disney characters to life during several costumed dance solos. The finale called every single dancer to the stage and gave the enthused audience a chance to offer their roaring applause. 

The hard work that went into learning the choreography was obvious in the poise and energy of each dancer. It seemed that every move was clean and well executed; every group was in sync with their fellow dancers and the rhythm of the song. 

Pre-biology major freshman Emma Lupisella attended the event and greatly admired the skill of the dancers.  

“I thought it was a great showcase and I would love to go to another in the near future,” Lupisella said.

The good news is that more mesmerizing dance performances are coming soon. From Dec. 7 through 10 in the Alice Austin Theatre, the Geneseo Dance Ensemble will be putting on a show called “Dancing Toward Fifty,” which will once again exemplify the tremendous dance talent here at Geneseo.u