The sounds and dances of “Speaking Movement” presented by the Moorpark College dance department proved to the audience that dancing can allow artistic voices to speak as each piece reflected a different theme.
“Speaking Movement”, held on Nov. 20 to 23 in the Performing Arts Center, was a dance production designed to display the hard work of faculty and student choreographers, as well as the dancers.
The show featured dance students from Moorpark College, as well as from California State University, Channel Islands.
Artistic Director and Dance Professor Beth Megill explained that she tried to give the show a title that she felt best fit the performances.
“I wanted to choose a title to show that you can show personal movements and ideas through movement,” said Megill. “Each body is a voice.”
In a packed auditorium, the lights dimmed to reveal a sunset of colors as the first piece “Shine” came alive with jazzy tempos.
As a large contrast, the piece “D*A*R*K” appeared choreographed and performed by dance students from California State University, Channel Islands. The piece opened on three performances, doing delicate, staccato movements, which ended with the noise of sharp breathing.
There were a variety of different dance styles featured, including ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop and swing, and each of the dances told a story to the audience.
One of the most memorable performances was titled “Thank You Rosa, Change Has Come.” In this piece, one dancer, stepped aside from the rest to showcase her memory of how African Americans used to be subjugated.
Chairs in two lines represented a bus, reminiscient of what Rosa Parks fought against. With the song “A Change is Gonna Come,” it was remarkable how a dance piece could display such a critical moment of history.
Kathleen McGovern, a 20-year-old undeclared major at Moorpark, said that she enjoyed performing in the dance show and had a lot of fun rehearsing for it.
“It was my first time performing in this type of show,” said McGovern. “All of the dancers put in a lot of time and energy, and it was very inspirational to be a part of that.”
Rehearsals starting in the first two weeks of the semester the dance students worked hard on their choreography every weekend in order to prepare for the show.
Megill said that the students’ hard work definitely paid off, and was amazed at how good the performance turned out.
“The student work this past concert was beautiful and strong in terms of craft, real skill, and artistry,” said Megill.
For more information on upcoming Moorpark dance performances, visit the Performing Arts website at www.moorparkcollege.edu/pac .
