(Courtesy Photo)
Cal Poly students of various majors, backgrounds and skill levels will take center stage this Thursday and Friday at Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre for “Titanium,” the student-directed, student-choreographed and student-performed spring dance concert.
“I see it as giving everyone an equal opportunity to dance,” co-assistant director and business administration junior Gabriella Petrone said. “The goal is to let everyone at Cal Poly who likes to dance be able to be in a real production. There’s everything — hip-hop, jazz, tap-dancers, ballet, contemporary and a swing dance piece too.”
This year’s version of the annual show will feature 21 different pieces, including its first-ever Pacific Islander-style dance.
“This is the first year we’ve had something like this because our choreographer for that dance spent a couple months living in Tahiti and another island and took dance classes while she was there,” director and kinesiology senior Tyler Ratcliff said. “She taught some of those dances to our dancers.”
Because many choreographers graduated last year, this year’s spring show will see fresh talent.
The dance concert will feature a new “cycle” of choreographers, Petrone said.
Choreographer and modern languages and literature junior Noe Klein said her best friend inspired her pointe ballet piece.
“It is about the relationships we have with people in the journey of life,” Klein said.
“It’s especially cool for choreographers because you’re able to create a piece of art with a bunch of other people, and you get to decide the tech side of it too,” Klein said. “It’s definitely a ‘Learn By Doing’ experience.”
With just fewer than 200 dancers, three crewmembers and two faculty members overseeing, the show is truly a group effort. And despite the large number of student participants, the show is right on track, Ratcliff said.
“There’s a lot of dancers, and a lot of little pieces that need to come together,” Ratcliff said. “It’s a huge undertaking, but within the past few weeks, it’s come together really easily.
“Everything we’re producing is from students’ peers. A lot of people that they go to class with, or see on campus, are super creative people and producing great things.”
Both performances sold out this past week, Petrone said.
“The tickets went so fast, and it’s so nice that everyone’s going to have a full house to perform to,” Petrone said.
The shows are scheduled for 8 p.m.