Boston College’s Heights Room was the location of a Dance Showcase for charity on Friday night, organized as a joint effort between Southeast Asian Student Association (SEASA) and the break dance group Conspiracy Theory (CT).
It was clearly a highly anticipated event, as the venue was totally packed, with large crowds of people cramming into the sides of the room to catch a glimpse of the talent on display. The theme of the night certainly wasn’t that of a competition, but rather a sort of communal gathering, where different groups of students used dance to show their varieties of cultural heritages.
That variety was certainly on display in the number of different groups that performed on stage. In no particular order, they included BC Irish Dance (BCID), CT, Dance Ensemble (DE), Dance Organization of BC (DOBC), Females Incorporating Sisterhood Through Step (F.I.S.T.S.), Fuego del Corazon, Full Swing, Masti, On Tap, Presenting Africa To You (PATU), Phaymus, and Vida de Intensa Pasión (VIP). It is quite an exhaustive list, but the performances of all the groups was anything but.
Before the show kicked off, there was a short presentation detailing the charity to which the funds of the proceedings would be given to. The proceeds from this event will be given to a food relief group in order to support the Rohingya refugees, a persecuted Muslim minority currently being forced out of their home country of Myanmar as a result of an ethnic cleansing campaign.
In terms of the actual content of the performance, it was, without a doubt, a decidedly excellent affair. It was immediately clear to everyone just how much time and effort these groups put into perfecting their routines, as the choreography of all the groups was simply superb.
They appeared to all be moving as a singular unit, dazzling the audience with a variety of moves. Chemistry and excitement between the performers were present as well, as every dancer moved through their routines with a healthy heaping of pizzaz and splendor, displaying beaming smiles as well as more reserved facial expressions, when appropriate.
The universal excellence on display does not mean, however, that each group was a carbon copy of the other. In fact, it was just the opposite. There were a large amount of different cultural dance groups that were displayed during this show, such as PATU to Fuego del Corazon.
In keeping with their backgrounds, these groups gave performances of a variety of different styles, ranging from Masti’s electric and mobile routines to DE’s more reserved, graceful approach.
Featured Image by Jake Catania
