DVC dancers demonstrated advanced technique, choreography and skill in their show ‘Embrace the Space’ that took place April 27-29.
Choreographers and dancers alike worked together to come up with a variety of different dance numbers.

Students used different dancing style including jazz, ballet, hip hop, contemporary, modern and  much more. Every dance performance was an original and a project the students have been working on since the beginning of the semester.

DVC professor Kimberley Valmore, who has been teaching at the college for over 10 years, was the artistic director in the show.
Valmore said that she really wanted to get students to express whatever they were thinking about.
“Every piece is unique depending on each choreographers idea,” Valmore said.  “There is some humor and some darker pieces. It’s not just a chance to dance, but to produce and choreograph.”

The variety was easy to see while watching each piece. The show started 15 minutes later than planned, but once the curtains came up, it was hard to feel any type of annoyance.The first performance, entitled “Chasing Fairies,” had a calming and serene feel to it. Other performances, including “Wonder Why,” “Hardships,” “Fear Not” and “One Short Story” were upbeat and fun pieces, while showing off how well the students can work together.

All of the steps were complicated, but the dancers remained in perfect sync the entire time. They worked well together and it was evident that each student truly enjoyed what they were doing.

Some performances like “Reflections”” and “Hardships” were performed by a pair of dancers. Each pair demonstrated a certain chemistry that made their numbers enjoyable to watch.

Other numbers included groups of people. “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide,” “When the Cat’s Away,” “One Short Day” and much more required at least six students to perform.

Most of the numbers were upbeat and told a very obvious story.
Even though there was a lot of different dances happening onstage all at once, it never got too chaotic.

The show ended with “Embrace the Space, Finale”, which was a number that involved all of the students in the performance. After coming out with one last number, the students each took turns taking a bow amidst loud applause.

“I love seeing the final product,” Valmore said. “You see these students practicing all semester. And there are a lot of trials and tribulations along the way. But at the end of the road, you get to see them grow. You see how proud they are of themselves.”

Those who attended the show also found themselves entertained. Luis Currie, who is a student at DVC, said that he only attended the show because his girlfriend had asked him to go with her. “Honestly, I was impressed,” Currie said. “I didn’t know exactly know how this whole performance was going to go down. I did like how they had a little more of everything for everyone, though. I’m not much of a ballet fan, but watching some of the more modern dances was really cool.”

Mourissa Delepine,  a DVC student who also attended the event, said she found much more than the dancing impressive.
“The dancing was great, it really was,” Delepine said. “The costumes is what really made the show interesting. I feel like a lot of the time when I go see plays I just see the dancers in all black, even if the dress attire doesn’t fit with the meaning of the piece. With this, the costumes were so much fun and so colorful. They got really creative with them.”

Christina Stevenson, who choreographed “Natural Selection,” said that she had been thinking about her piece since last summer. The piece was inspired by her cat that passed. “I got the idea for it and I just kept adding to it,” Stevenson said.

With all the hard work that was put into it, Valmore said the moments on stage are precious, but fleeting.
“The stage is really just the frosting,” Valmore said. “The road is what’s really special.”