So you want to be a dancer? BU’s Dance Theater Group is made up of non-majors of all levels of experience. Every semester, the group creates a show that consists of the choreography of both students and local dance professionals. The weeks before the show are filled with activity as the dancers struggle to balance their school work, outside lives and dance practice. College of Arts and Sciences freshman Leah Melby, a DTG dancer, shows us how it all gets done.
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003
It’s crunch time at Dance Theatre Group. Our rehearsal tonight is longer because we still have the end of the dance to finish before the last showing on Thursday. I tend to get a little nervous about learning massive amounts of choreography in short amounts of time, but I don’t think it’ll be too bad. I am really excited to see how the dance is going to end.
I have never understood how it is possible that, as a dancer, I can remember hundreds of combinations of counts and steps and repeat them without much thought yet still struggle with memorizing dates and places for tests. Knowing that we only have a little bit of time left before the showing, sequences and combinations get thrown out relatively quickly. We all work together pretty well, listening and playing around with the music.
After what was maybe the quickest hour-and-a-half in my life, it’s done. Putting the finished product to music is incredibly stressful. I worry about remembering all the new parts, but it is also very fulfilling finally, all the jumps and turns and pivots have become a dance. I find myself smiling and enjoying myself, even though the only people I am really performing for are my choreographers.
Before we call it a night we discuss possible titles. Everyone suggests ideas: some are met with laughter, others with nods that suggest possibility. Finally, one girl mentions ‘Juxtapose.’ Another dancer immediately feeds off it, suggesting ‘juxta-posed’ since there is a continuing sequence of poses throughout the dance. My choreographers like it. Girls say goodnight, wrap themselves up in scarves and jackets and head out to go home, get dinner or go to the library.
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003
I really like the way the dance has came together and I am excited for the faculty advisors and other dancers to see it. With some time left before we dance, I stretch and chat with a friend in the stairwell. We are both a little nervous about performing, which makes us a little gigglier than normal.
Someone comes out to get us and I feel the familiar feeling of nerves rush through me. Not only do I personally want to do well, but I also didn’t want to let my choreographers down. The butterflies in my stomach aren’t too bad though and they turn to excitement as I get ready to dance.
Even though I messed up a little spot at the end, I think it went very well overall. All the dancers agreed the end was a little rough since we had just learned it a few days before. The comments we got from the faculty advisors were good. They had a few suggestions to work on at the next rehearsal, but they seemed fairly impressed.
I was still a little upset that I hadn’t done as well as I could have, but I was glad that people seemed to like it. With one more rehearsal as a group before the performance, I know that we’ll pull it together really well. I can’t wait to get out there in costume and make-up and perform it in front of an actual audience … Now all I have to do is get through an intensive week of tech rehearsals.
The BU Dance Theater Group Sargent Dance Studio 1 University Road, Boston Friday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
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