Last weekend, the members of Mercersburg’s Dance PGA performed in the annual Fall Dance Concert. The concert was long-awaited and the seats in the Simion Theatre were almost entirely filled. The dancers worked hard to prepare a variety of pieces, many of which were choreographed by the students themselves. Although anyone who attended the concert would happily share their thoughts on the usual amazing performance, the dancers shared their opinions on the concert and the weeks of preparation.
Joie Xiao ’22 is one of three senior dance captains and a choreographer. She danced in multiple pieces, as well as choreographed her own, and performed a solo. Xiao said, “Since I haven’t been on campus for such a long time, being back with the dance team and working with Ms. Dalton is a blessing. Even though tech week is exhausting, every second is worth it as I watch each dancer grow and improve night after night.”
Destiny Rodney ’22 is another senior dance captain. She agreed with Xiao, saying, “It’s immensely rewarding to watch the dance program grow and evolve from when I first joined as a freshman. This was the first concert of my senior year, so it was especially exciting to take on a new leadership position.”
Denise Dalton, the school’s dance director, provided more insight into the concert. She said, “I thought the concert went exceptionally well. This is one of the most cohesive groups I have ever had the pleasure to work with. They are focused and dedicated, not just as individuals but as a team.”
While the concert went smoothly, tech week was full of challenges. Molly Willis ’22, the third senior dance captain, said, “Three days before the concert, we had a dancer who was tested positive during a rapid test, which was a huge shock for all of us. We had to fix everything in a day and we were even unsure about whether the concert was happening.”
Alex Gound ’22 said, “The news was definitely surprising to all of us, but Mercersburg dancers are a strong group of students. We were able to come together and adapt to big changes in a really short amount of time.”
The dancers worked hard day in and day out for months constantly choreographing, rehearsing, and pushing through unexpected hardships to present the Mercersburg Academy community with a diverse and intriguing performance.
Going forward, Dalton has a vision for each of her dancers. She says, “My main goal is to continue engaging students in the collaborative process and strengthening their creative skills through the study of craft and technique. I want them to continue to express and communicate their own ideas, awakening new ways of learning and thinking.”
Many of the seniors have expressed their bittersweet feelings as the fall concert comes to an end. Xiao encompassed these feelings perfectly, saying, “You really only cherish something when you have lost it, and having missed four dance concerts in the past two years, I had to give everything I have for this concert.”
JOIE
“Dance is hard. It is always challenging but immensely rewarding! Since I haven’t been on campus for such a long time, being back with the dance team and working with Ms. Dalton is such a blessing. Even though tech week is exhausting, every second is worth it as I watched every dancer growing and every performance improving night after night.
I love seeing the new dancers challenging themselves and opening up to all different genres of dance; everyone put in everything they’ve got and worked so hard.
You really only cherish something when you have lost it, and having missed four dance concerts in the past two years, I had to give everything I have for this concert.
Three days before the concert, we had a dancer who was tested positive during a rapid test, which was a huge shock for all of us. We had to fix everything in a day and we were even unsure about whether the concert was happening.
It was also hard for me to balance all the college work, school work, and dance at the same time during this fall. I participated in White Noise, In Theory, In the Moment, and Somebody to Love, and I choreographed for Back-Wings, which was definitely my favorite choreography of all time.
My solo felt amazing; the reaction I received from the crowd was so uplifting and loving, I could not have asked for more. Dancing in masks was definitely not ideal, and I felt like I almost fainted on stage, but the audience helped me make it through.”
DALTON
Our goals for the rest of the year include engaging students in the collaborative process and strengthening their creative skills through the study of craft and technique. I want them to continue to express and communicate their own ideas, awakening new ways of learning and thinking.”
ALEX
What did you most enjoy about the performance? About tech week?
The whole performance and weeks leading up to it were full of excitement from all of the dancers. It was great getting to see freshman and new students performing for the first time.
What was tech week like?
To keep it short, tech week was long. Dalton did her best to let us out early, but it was still a lot of work. We stayed a lot later than we had to most days and worked really hard, but in the end, it all came together.
What challenges did you face leading up to the concert? Dance as a whole?
Unity and organization
MOLLY-
I love the dance program the concert was really great even though it was short. It was fun being in the pieces that I was in (variety) as a captain its fun to have the opportunity to change the program and use my leadership abilities to help out those in the program.
Tech week was not as stressful as usual but I had college apps so that sucked
