A single spotlight illuminated a dark theater in the Schwartz School of Performing Arts when its end-of-semester Share In/Share Out dance showcase took place on Friday and Saturday. Fifteen performances were put on through the two performance dates by students in the PMA 2300: Dance Composition and PMA 3210: Classical Dance Technique courses.
Each performance represented a unique dialogue on topics of memory, migration and place, which students were tasked with creating projects on throughout the semester. Some of the performances were performed solo, while others were duets or groupwork, utilizing different props, costumes, and lighting. Even the music varied from performance to performance, where some performers elected not to make use of music at all.
“The students were asked to think about all the aspects of their performance, levels of volume, tone and atmosphere, costumes and props,” said Prof. Danielle Russo, performing and media arts, who teaches both PMA 2300 and 3210. “I asked them to be intentional with everything they did.”
The final showcase was the culmination of a semester’s work, learning how to choreograph, practicing and then performing.
“Throughout the semester, students of the courses learned components of music and rhythm-based structures, as well as storytelling and nostalgia,” Russo said. “They had the opportunity to develop their projects for production, so you’ll see a range of work connected to dancing home/land,” the theme of the portfolios.
The goal of the performance, however, was not only to focus on the role of the performer, but also of the audience, “like a conversation,” Russo said. “What does it mean to actually be in a room with someone and just share space and air and story and feeling?”
The show was also attended by students from the class who wanted to watch their classmates perform. “My favorite performance was “Raven” by my classmates Nick [DeMayo ’26] and Kaelyn [Stewart ’28],” said Elena Caplinger ‘27, a student in the class. “That was super cool to watch both in the classroom and on stage.”
Caplinger shared why she decided to take the class despite being an Economics major.
“I took the class because I always really enjoyed having this time of my day dedicated to dance,” Caplinger said. “It was really fun, the logic puzzle of putting everything together into one performance.”
Caplinger performed a duet, “Skipping Stones”, with her partner, graduate student Taylor Janeen Pryor. “It definitely took double-digits of drafts to get to this point,” she said, “but that’s a part of the fun of it, I think.”
Ashley Dorais, who performed “Elastic Me,” featuring her solo performance to “Elastic Heart” by Sia from Cornell’s Absolute A Capella, reflected on the meaning of her performance.
“It meant a lot to get to debut my choreography in the Share In/Share out performances because throughout my time studying dance in the PMA department I’ve gotten to play with blending a variety of dance styles and techniques,” Dorais wrote in a statement sent to The Sun. “This has led me to form some of the most wonderful friendships while furthering my original training in Ballet.”
The showcase concluded with “Music in Motion,” which was choreographed by Russo and performed by fourteen students. The performance included audio from the Cornell Chamber Orchestra, directed by Prof. Gabriela Gómez Estévez, director of orchestras, from an Oct 5. concert at Bailey Hall.
The show was more than just about the performances themselves. “It's about building trust and a safe space,” she said. “We did a lot of trust-building and learned to build community throughout the semester,” Russo said.
The show was also about being conscious of space and “unpeeling the layers to reveal something new to yourself and your audience,” she said. “Only four or five years ago, we could not be in a theater doing this,” Russo explained, “It takes an extra level of bravery and openness, and I am tremendously proud of all my students.”
Jonathan McCormack is a sophomore in the Cornell College of Arts & Sciences. He is a staff writer for the news department and can be reached at jjm538@cornell.edu.
