With over 200 dancers, 25 choreographers, and a song list ranging from Michael Jackson to Israeli hip-hop, the Tufts Dance Collective's spring show "Shakin,' Not Stirred," taking place tonight in Cohen Auditorium, promises a fun-filled extravaganza to finish the semester in style.
In the evening's two performances by 18 TDC groups and three guest dance ensembles, the show's organizers are hoping for a fun and relaxed atmosphere that, according to show director Lisa Schupmann, will "bring in Spring Fling."
Preparation for the annual spring show, which is in its fourth year on the Cohen stage, begins at the start of the semester, with show organizers reaching out to interested dancers and choreographers on the Tufts campus. In a tradition unique to the TDC, dancers do not have to audition to perform, and choreographers are allowed to pick their own style of music and dance for their pieces. In the words of Schupmann's co-director Cecilia Dos Santos, "[the show] is definitely a wide spectrum of talent."
Dos Santos describes the TDC tradition as "everyone having a good time," and the spring show is the culmination of each individual's efforts. "Everyone's putting in the extra work, the extra hours, to show the people in the audience they're having a great time," she explained.
Most people involved in the show, it appears, share this outlook. According to senior Sam Stiegler, who choreographed an all-male dance called "Shiver Me Badd" along with junior Steve Leichman, his dance is intended to be "something that's fun - audience pleasing." Schupmann said "because most of the dances are focused more on being creative with choreography and kind of goofing around, there's not much pressure. People can just get into it and have a good time."
The relaxed and fun attitude of TDC is accompanied by significant diversity in dance styles, as facilitated by the large number of members. With so many choreographers offering a multitude of musical choices, student dancers can have their pick of songs from a range of genres including rock, pop and hip-hop. Songs that will be danced to at tonight's show include "Jam" by Michael Jackson, "Killing Me Softly" by the Fugees, "Somebody Told Me" by the Killers and "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses.
"Shakin,' Not Stirred" is going to be a very varied show. I think that's what's good about this semester," said Schupmann.
Dancers rehearse for each dance one hour per week throughout the semester, many of them preparing for a dance performance for the first time. "[TDC] gets a lot of new dancers who want to be on the stage and have a good time," said Dos Santos. "It's definitely a high bar for enthusiasm."
Also contributing to the diversity of the show are guest performances by Tufts dance ensembles Turbo, the Irish Dance Club and Sarabande. Kerry Thornton, co-captain and co-founder of the Tufts Irish Dance Club, said, "I think the TDC show is a well-attended, fun show that people regard as very entertaining. Since we're a new group, we're really looking forward to having one of our first performances be with one of the most well-regarded dance groups on campus."
With a large pool of eager but untrained dancers, many TDC choreographers use props and other costuming effects to add flavor to their dances. Stiegler and Leichman's "Shiver me Badd" gives each dancer a flower that is used in the dance, and the women's dance "Th?© ? la Menthe," choreographed by Sarah Gray and Cecilia Dos Santos, uses the hoods on their jackets as a stylizing device.
With ample style and plenty of enthusiasm, "Shakin', Not Stirred" has a clear objective, according to Dos Santos, who said simply, "We want to keep the audience entertained."
