Just Dance: An emotional farewell
The Maryville College Dance Ensemble performed their annual spring show on April 1, 2016.
The show, titled Just Dance, included performances by the MC Scotties dance team and the dance ensemble—two separate dance organizations at the college.
It was an emotional performance for the class of 2016 dancers, August Greer, Emily Fain and Cheyenne Barnes.
Many times, the senior dancers were crying on stage. The audience could tell that it was a hard performance for them, as it was their last. The audience shed some tears as well.
Greer, who is one of the officers of the ensemble, said that they have to put in a lot of behind the scenes work. From casting to booking the venue, it is all on the officers’ shoulders.
She gave a lot of credit, however, to Roger Myers, the faculty advisor for the dance ensemble.
The talent of the dancers was remarkable. The styles of dances ranged from hip-hop to tap.
One thing that was easy to see about the show was that all of the dancers put a lot of hard work into it. Members of the dance ensemble choreographed all of the dances that were performed.
“This was one of the best shows we’ve done in my years of being on the ensemble,” said Greer.
Choreographing and teaching the other dancers takes up more time than simply showing up for rehearsals.
“The purpose of the MC Dance Ensemble is to bring a novel aspect of the performing arts to campus in hopes that it will enhance community involvement and general appreciation for the art of dance,” according to MC’s website.
All the people who were in attendance on April 1 will probably agree with that statement. And there were a lot of them. From parents to students, it was far more than just a campus event.
Greer would like to give a special shout out to Rose Sampley and Rachel Jarnagin from the Clayton Center for doing the lights and music, as well as making sure they had everything they needed for their show.
While this was the first Dance show that I have ever attended, the MC Dance Ensemble’s heartfelt performance ensured that it would not be my last.
