Stunts, turns, flips and twirls, all choreographed by students, took center stage outside the Dance Studio as the Cerritos College Dance Department presented the Fall 2015 Informal Dance Concert.
The Dance Concert was held Dec. 2 and showcased 13 student original performances.
With many different varieties of dance and music ranging from hip-hop to tap and even Latin, it’s no wonder why the crowd was so engulfed in each performance.
According to Janet Sanderson, chairperson of the Dance Department, the informal dance concert is made up of numbers choreographed by the students.
This event is held toward the end of every semester and students prepare these routines on their own personal time.
Sanderson mentioned that all the students who performed are all students enrolled in dance classes on campus.
Originally, the event was meant to be held in the student center, but a last minute change led the students to set up the performance stage right outside of FA55, the Dance Studio.
Not only was there a change of location, but a recent construction set up caused a huge wall that covered the dancers from surrounding areas.
These issues, however, did not discourage any of the dancers.
“It [the construction barrier] came in last week and we had the chance to cancel it, but the kids really like to do this so they decided to not cancel it,” Sanders said.
Each performance left its own unique mark as the crowd of people clapped and waited for more.
Some of the performances were done with an entire class, while some students chose to take the spot-light and perform a solo piece such as Love Roper, child development major, who performed in two different performances.
“I loved it and I’m tired, but I enjoyed every moment of it,” Roper said.
Although dance is not something Roper plans on pursuing, she has her reasons for her passion in dance.
“I’ve been dancing since I was seven and my dad would take me to all these dance companies all the time. After my father passed away, it was just something I stick to. It’s something I do for fun that keeps me motivated,” Roper said.
The event gives the students to put what they have learned to the test and create something to perform in front of a live audience.
According to Areal Hughes, dance major and assistant to Sanderson, this hands-on experience is constructive for students to progress with what they’ve learned and shows how dancers can improve with each performance and each class taken at Cerritos College.
“I help the students with their moves, basically a consultant. I think it went pretty well. The informal [concert] progresses every semester and I think that is pretty fantastic…Every dancer gave 100 percent,” Hughes said.
Hughes didn’t think the construction was an issue, but it may have blocked the view from the public.
The Dance Department hopes to hold more concerts in the spring of 2016, both formal and informal.
