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ZOE KIRIAZIS
Staff Writer
If you were to ask the president of Fredonia’s dance company, Orchesis, a dancer is “someone who’s not measured by their technique, but the hours they spend practicing.”
On April 20 and 21, at Fredonia High School, Orchesis produced their annual spring concert titled “Mosaic.” Fifteen pieces were performed at the concert out of 18 pieces that originally auditioned. Styles of dance ranged from contemporary, ballet, hip-hop, vogue and modern.
Chris Victor, a senior dance major and treasurer of Orchesis, came up with this semester’s title. Victor commented that picking a title is the hardest part in producing their semester concerts. The e-board chooses their shows’ titles so that they hold a special meaning to the company.
“We are all artists. We all have so many differences and unique qualities to ourselves, and I wanted to celebrate these differences as opposed to rejecting them,” said Victor.
Madeleine Goc, senior English education major and president of Orchesis, said that “Mosaic” represents what Orchesis, as a company, represents.
“Mosaic actually means two things. It means the physical art, a piece of art created by a bunch of small pieces that come together to make a bigger one. Which is how we know it, but mosaic is a noun that describes the process of making it,” Goc said.
For the event’s promotional poster, Victor photographed their company members portraying the small pieces of art, starting in plain white t-shirts and then slowly adding bright-colored face paint. The final product featured all the photos of the dancers embedded into Orchesis’ logo creating the company’s own mosaic.
One addition to this production is that Goc added an original poem at the beginning of the show. Her poem, “Mosaic,” displays what the company is all about and what the show title means to members of Orchesis.
“In the past we’ve created these titles, and it means something to us, but the audience is kind of like ‘run-of-the-mill, do what you want.’ We have felt such strong meanings in our titles, we haven’t connected that to our audience. And this semester, we are finally bringing them into the concept of our show,” Goc said.
Orchesis presents ample opportunities for students to dance, take part in masterclasses from peers and professionals and the chance to choreograph their own pieces. Some choreographers take part in their pieces as dancers and some others do not.
Goc choreographed a hip-hop piece to Chris Brown’s song “Forever.” She grew up watching and listening to Brown’s music and music videos. She would watch bits of videos before pausing the tapes and trying to figure out the movements she saw.
“‘Forever’ is about always having that moment on the dance floor … It’s the, ‘I’ll forever remember this company of dancers,’” Goc said.
Senior dance major Tess Grosvenor credits Orchesis as the start of her collegiate dance career. Grosvenor has been a part of the company since her freshmen year as a dancer and choreographer. This semester she choreographed a piece titled “Flattery?” based on the quote, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
“I’ve always questioned this. Is ripping off someone else’s work really flattery or is it lazy and disrespectful?” Grosvenor said. These questions became the basis and inspiration for her piece.
Victor choreographed an anecdote to Adele’s “All I Ask” titled “These Are My Words.” His piece was the only duet choreographed and presented in “Mosaic.”
Other pieces performed at the event included “The Cage” with choreography inspired by hit Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” by junior education major Jenn Urda. Hit ‘90s song “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men got a makeover with a hip-hop piece called “Girlz II Ladies” choreographed by sophomore sculpture major Rosalina Pena.
Orchesis was fortunate to have Tyler Malone, dancer at Lehrer Dance Company in Buffalo, as a guest choreographer who placed his piece on seven dancers titled “Seven.”
Orchesis means something different to each member of the company, and they each have their own hopes for the company in the future. “I want Orchesis to continue to give people a place to be … You’re not just that shard of glass, your shard of glass is part of something bigger,” Goc explained.
Victor’s first home at Fredonia was Orchesis Dance Company.
“It doesn’t matter how strong your dance ability is or how good your technique is. There is a place for anyone with a strong passion to dance in Orchesis,” he said.
To the next generation of Orchesis, Grosvenor encourages freshmen to “find something or someone that inspires them and go for what they want.” She explains that if it wasn’t for Orchesis, she wouldn’t have continued to be a dancer or have pursued a BFA in dance here at Fredonia.
“You want to choreograph? Choreograph. You want to perform? Perform. Find that fire within yourself and let it motivate you,” Grosvenor said.