The Momentum Choreography Collective showcase of student-created dance pieces is Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. in the Bell Memorial Union auditorium. Students choreograph, perform and direct all the dances, which range from solo pieces to some with over 20 members.
There are currently about 75 members in the club. Many different styles of dance are included and range from beginner to advanced levels. The club’s goal is to create a safe space where students feel comfortable expressing themselves through movement, Ililani Reynolds, junior at Chico State and president of the club, said.
“We have a dance about suicide prevention. The previous semester we had a dance based on school shootings in America,” Reynolds said. She enjoys seeing dances that are created out of love and can “make smaller voices bigger.”
Heidi Jean Shelton-Semar, junior, is a performer in three different pieces for the showcase. She grew up dancing but hadn’t taken part in it for a couple of years before this semester.
She spoke to how supportive the Momentum community is and how the ability to express her emotions through movement has been rewarding for her.
“It’s like a family, honestly. No matter what, everyone lifts you up and helps you believe in yourself,” Shelton-Semar said “Being able to do something that I love and that helps me mentally is so amazing and powerful.”
Student choreographers bring their proposals to the board of the club for approval to work on for the next showcase. The choreographers receive all the help they need but have creative freedom to develop their own dances.
“All I care about is that it looks good to be presented on stage, and how they get there is different for each person,” Reynolds said. “We’re all levels, all styles.”
The club practices Monday through Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. Choreographers have an hour each week to teach their dance and work their group through the moves.
They split the room and have four rehearsals going over a two-hour period. The practices are organized so dancers know when to come for the hour-long sessions of the pieces they are involved with.
Outfit concepts are chosen by the individual choreographers, and the club helps them put those together and make sure they are affordable for all the dancers.
The Envy Hip-Hop Dance Team, a separate student-run club on campus, will also contribute to the showcase.
Tickets can be purchased at the door for $7.
Sean Shanks can be reached at [email protected].
