Dance Works: Walk of Fame

By Tessa Maddaloni

An excited hum buzzes through the auditorium as family and friends file in to find seats. Eager for the performance of Dance Works (DW) Walk of Fame, I sit a couple rows back listening to the chatter and upbeat music playing in the background. The DW Executive Board steps on stage, consisting of directors Maia Santoro and Tillie Morrisette, and producers Audrey Cadogan and Bridgette Sanok. They share some safety announcements and discuss mask mandates and merchandise. Once they leave, the lights go dark and anticipation builds.

A screen plays a montage of DW rehearsal clips and pictures of the choreographers, with flashy music playing in the background. Once the screen recedes, dancers stride onto the stage. The music begins for the opening number, an upbeat dance entitled “When I Get Glamorous:” a mashup of “Glamorous” by Fergie and “When I Grow Up” by the Pussycat Dolls, choreographed by senior dancer Connor Muldoon. Full of leaps, flouncy poses, and sparkly black costumes, the number ends with a roar of applause from the crowd, and the Walk of Fame is off. 

Following Muldoon’s dance comes a tap routine choreographed by sophomores Sam Meir and Samantha Denaro featuring both tap solos and group work. Meir and Denaro’s dance, entitled “Begging For My Ex”, is another mashup, this one to “Begging” by Måneskin and “my ex’s best friend” by Machine Gun Kelly and blackbear. 

Each number expresses the choreographer’s vision perfectly, and no two dances are alike. Tori Laviano choreographed an impactful jazz dance and incorporated a fog machine with her number to “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé. Fast paced hip hop is presented in Alyssa Pape’s dance “Manolo” and Maeve O’Connor and Megan Wilkens’ “On the Floor”, contrasted with the bright contemporary movements of Liz Melo and Avery Gunderson’s “Heaven I Know” and the fluid tap of Lily Esteghamati’s “Beautiful Day”. Another Muldoon dance closes act 1, and a brief 15 minute intermission is had. 

Act 2 was full of upbeat numbers, namely Hannah Hamermesh’s dance to “Green Light” by Lorde, and Sammy Van Siclen’s dance to “Famous” by Kanye West. Hamermesh displays an eye for mixing both sharp and fluid movements in her dance, and Van Siclen truly captures each beat of West’s music with captivating pops in her choreography. “Mile High” by Mary-Katheryn Egger and “Gaga,” a mashup of Lady Gaga songs, by Audrey Cadogan both feature hip-hop movements and upbeat group work, creating a cohesive look across the stage. “False Confidence” by Tillie Morrisette and “Smother” by Maia Santoro both feature contemporary movements and stories within their dances. Morrisette focuses on the development of confidence, shown through the gradual increase of larger movements within the dance. Santoro explains her story in her pre-dance video. 

“It is about the ups and downs of relationships,” said Santoro. “It's feeling like you're asking too much from someone when in reality you're asking for what you deserve.”

Santoro brings this vision to life through the dancers acting through her choreography. She includes lifts and heartbreaking groundwork to show the feelings within the ending relationship. 

Also in the second act was an upbeat dance to “KIWI” by Harry Styles. I had the opportunity to speak with Madison Lamont, choreographer of KIWI, about her experience in DanceWorks and as a choreographer. 

“I wanted to choose a song that was really fun and upbeat so that my dancers would be excited and it would be exciting for the audience,” said Lamont. “I was really proud of everyone, and really thankful for the opportunity.” 

As a first time choreographer, Lamont felt pressure and was slightly intimidated, yet she reflected on her time at DW and felt nothing but joy and support. 
“As a whole, it’s just a big happy family,” she said. “It's a really nice space to be able to be yourself and not worry about making mistakes. Everyone is learning.”

Closing out DW Hall of Fame were two upbeat dances, “Anaconda”, a mashup of Nicki Manaj songs, and another Muldoon production, this time joined by Jensen Bee for “Streets Remix”. Choreographed by Averey Esposito and Sami Halperin, “Anaconda” pulled at the audience’s energy as well as the dancers. Lauren Luther, a freshman cast member of said dance, spoke to me about her experience in DW and why this particular dance was her favorite. 

“It was so fun to perform,” Luther shared. “I love hip-hop, it was so high energy.” 

Luther also said that, because of the pandemic, this was her first time on stage since 2019. For dancers like this, DW is so much more than just dancing. It's a space to make friends that feel like family, and share a passion for the stage and performance. 

While the Walk of Fame was DW’s main performance of the year, they will be holding workshops in the future that will specialize in certain styles. Each workshop is open to the public, allowing for an inclusive environment and an attempt to grow the DW family.