On Nov. 15 and 16, The Bucknell Dance Company (BDC) put on their annual fall showcase at the Harvey M. Powers Theatre.

The showcase consisted of 20 different performances that featured a variety of theatre and dance classes as well as the Bisonettes Dance Team, the Irish Dance Club and the Bison Girls Dance Team. The cast varied from performance to performance.

Preparation for the showcase started back in September when auditions took place. Everyone in the showcase except for those in Jazz Dance Technique 1, Ballet Technique 1, and Modern Dance Technique 1 classes or those in a dance club had to audition. After auditions rehearsals began, each cast met once or twice a week for one to two hours at a time.

“A lot of the dancers in the showcase don’t have strong dance backgrounds which is why it’s so great to see them step out of their comfort zone to try new movement and styles,” Clare McGowan ’21, public relations coordinator for the dance department, said.

While some pieces were choreographed by professors, a large portion of the dances were choreographed by students as well as guest artists. The guest artists include Douglas Dunn, a New York-based dancer and choreographer, Julie Petry, an associate professor of theatre and dance at Bloomsburg University, and Christine Rossiello, an alumna and owner and director of Heartbeat Dance Center.

Those who were cast in a Residency Piece, or a piece choreographed by a guest artist, learned the entire piece within one weekend and then practiced it through the week with a student director. 

“It was really exciting to see how the whole production worked and getting to know upperclassmen who I would have never known outside of the dance program,” performer Grace Grundt ’23 said.

“The success of the showcase should be attributed towards everyone involved including the marvelous dancers and production team,” McGowan said.

“The dance showcase is a really nice community and it’s really nice to get to dance with a bunch of different people and then having the actual show; seeing everyone’s hard work is really beautiful and rewarding,” performer Ariana Majer ’20 said.

The Department of Theatre and Dance will perform their Main Stage Event on Dec. 6 and 7 at 7:30pm at the Harvey M. Powers Theatre. Tickets are $7 for students and senior citizens and $12 for the general public.