Some people express emotions through poetry, others through acting or maybe drawing. Whatever it may be, we all express our feelings one way or another.

On April 24, the Moorpark College dance department held their spring concert “Motion Flux” where students expressed emotion through dance.

The show had 14 pieces performed, incorporating a variety of styles including modern, ballet, pointe, jazz and hip-hop.

“Motion Flux” was a great way to show the audience that dance is much more then “twerking” and “dirty dancing.” The dancers and choreographers took dance to a whole other level.

The opening piece called “My Most Precious One” by artistic director Robert Salas, had the audience intrigued as the students began dancing to no music but the beat of their heart. Salas was inspired by Beethoven and the film, “Immortal Beloved.”

“I was fascinated by the fine line of love and hate, focusing on loss, and the forces that are at play that subsequently alter our paths in life,” said Salas.

Salas’ dance filled the audience with sorrow, sadness and love, but that wasn’t the only piece that sparked emotion.

“Time” by student choreographer Brandy Jones brought tears to peoples eyes as the dancers told a story through motion. One dancer represented a cancer patient fighting for her life as the angels danced among her.

“I recently lost a family member close to me; that dance was my favorite by far because it showed real emotion and the struggle many people have while fighting cancer,” said audience member Angela Sala, 22.

Being a former dancer at Thousand Oaks High School, Sala said the overall show was a 10 out of 10.

On April 20, 1999, a horrible incident occurred that people of Littleton, Colorado will never forget. For the fifteenth anniversary, choreographer Jesse Meraz dedicated his dance to the victims and family affected by the tragic shooting at Columbine High School. The dance began happy showing the ordinary life of a High School student then suddenly cut to anger and chaos showing the dark side of the murderers.

“I really pushed them to their limits with the Britney Spears song into a heavy metal Marilyn Manson song, they did a beautiful job,” said Meraz.

At the end of the piece the students danced among the slideshow of the victims lost in the tragic shooting.

Sara Lavalley has participated in Moorpark’s dance program for three years, pursuing her Associates Degree in dance. Her favorite piece was “Littleton” because she got to challenge herself by playing the murderer.

“When I’m up there I feel alive and at home,” said Lavalley. “Before I go on stage I close my eyes and picture what I need to feel.”

The show ended with a humorous Hip-hop dance leaving the audience happy and filled with a tremendous amount of emotion.