Waiting on the stairs of Marshall Auditorium, I was surrounded by dozens of friends and families of the night’s performers, most with bouquets in tow. With over 250 dancers representing 13 dance groups and two solo acts performing in the Fall Student Dance Concert (FSDC) on November 15, it was no surprise that the audience became a near stampede once the doors opened, rushing to secure seats.
This year’s FSDC, as always, was entirely student-run. This concert was coordinated by four Co-Heads: Liv Arp (BMC‘26), Eliana Kim (HC’28), Lila Rivera (HC‘27), and Sophianna Stricker (BMC’28), along with PR manager Alexie Coleman (BMC’27), countless choreographers, and BLAST, who worked on lights and sound. The concert featured over 32 dance performances in a variety of styles, with Mayuri, a South Asian fusion dance group representing the Tri-Co, performing the night’s kick-off number titled “Village Girls Go Sexy.” Likewise, many dance groups represented diasporas, including Desi, African, Chinese, Latine, and Irish. The full line-up included: Afreen, Ajoyo, Barre Owls, Bounce, Choom Boom, HaverRitmo, Mayuri, Mei, Noise Complaint, Pulso, Rhythm N’ Motion, Rince Na Mawr, and /Shift/ along with soloists Avery Barnett and Tiffany Lan. Ranging from traditional to contemporary, this was an opportunity for students to share dances with rich cultural roots. A moment to highlight was when HaverRitmo toted a Puerto Rican flag as they entered the stage to dance to “LA MuDANZA” by Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, followed by an explosion of cheers. Other songs performed included fan favorites such as Run-D.M.C.’s “It’s Tricky,” also performed by HaverRitmo, Katseye’s “Gnarly” performed by Choom Boom, Maejor’s “Lights Down Low,” performed by Rhythm N’ Motion, and Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” performed by Bounce as the last dance of the night.
I had the pleasure of speaking to Co-Presidents of Choom Boom, Norah Chinn (BMC‘26) and Miya Matsumune (BMC‘26). Having been in the Bi-Co’s resident K-pop dance group since their freshman years at Bryn Mawr College, Norah and Miya gave some valuable insight into their experiences with FSDC, from the preparations to the performance itself.
Norah explained that the rehearsals leading up to FSDC offered not only time to “get away from work” but opportunities to have fun together with other community members. Though dancing at the FSDC is a commitment, Norah and Miya argued that it is certainly a worthwhile one. According to Miya, “audience reactions are always so rewarding, so fulfilling, after working for months to make a piece look the way that we wanted it to.” With Choom Boom being one of the Bi-Co dance groups that does not require auditions, they had “to think about how to make pieces accessible for people who don’t have a lot of dance experience” when teaching dance pieces, with Norah and Miya having both worked together to prepare the choreography for BTS’s “Fake Love” for this year’s performance. All of which is to say, the great variety of dance clubs all contribute to the unique culture of the Bi-Co and also provide plenty of opportunities for people who are not expert dancers to get in on the action. While FSDC is a place where students can come together to show their talents to students of all interests, it is also an effective way for clubs and dance groups to promote themselves and inspire potential dancers in the audience who could be up there on stage down the line.
The Fall Student Dance Concert is a beloved event that is a collaborative labor of love, and to see all of that work come to fruition is something to behold. Being in the crowd, I could feel the floor shake with every round of applause; a chorus of cheers that I feel grateful to have been a part of. We can look forward to reigniting that energy for the next dance events to come, such as the spring showcase, with hopes to see faces both new and old in the crowd and on stage.
