Hofstra’s 2024 Fall Faculty Dance Concert

Last week, various dance majors at Hofstra University performed for the annual Fall Dance Concert. This year’s performance featured choreographic works by Rachel List, Amy Marshall, Telly Fowler, Clement Mensah and Maiya Redding. Bryanna Sykes and Denivia Rivera both performed in Rachel List’s Along the Riverbank with eleven fellow dance majors. The faculty dance concert at Hofstra is held at the end of each semester and dancer majors audition for each show the semester prior. Dancers rehearse at least three hours each week throughout the semester to learn and perfect the pieces they were selected to participate in. 

This year’s fall dance concert was Denivia Rivera’s first time performing in a faculty dance performance. In the spring 2024 semester, she auditioned for one piece, Rachel List’s Along the Riverbank, and was casted.

The rehearsal schedule for Along the Riverbank was three hours every Saturday starting at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester. List brought her artistry and choreography every week and sometimes asked for thoughts from her dancers to make her vision come to life. List wanted dancers to imagine dancing beside the riverbank and create their own stories to give the piece feeling.

After 10 consecutive weeks of rehearsing, it was time for tech and dress rehearsals before showtime. During tech rehearsal, dancers run their pieces on the stage to set lighting for the show. This is also the first rehearsal many dancers get to dance in costume. Denivia was one of the first dancers to get her costume fitting for Along the Riverbank and she was happy to be dancing in her first choice of costume. She wore a blue tank top with asymmetrical sleeves and blue flare pants. The ability to dance in costume, with lighting, and on the stage of the Adams Playhouse made the performance experience come to life.

Dress rehearsals took place the week of the show, Monday through Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Wednesday night, a photographer photographed the entire run of the show. For Denivia, dress rehearsals helped to get acquainted with the stage and figure out her presence while dancing prior to the performances.

There were five shows total between Thursday and Sunday which meant Denivia and Bryanna were in performance mode for a full week. Denivia found that her strongest performances were during the Thursday night and Sunday afternoon shows. The first show was exhilarating and exciting for Denivia and she felt extremely present for the final show. The overall experience for Denivia was sometimes tiring but mostly gave her new insight on herself as a performer. She is grateful for this performance opportunity and to work with Rachel List as well as the amazing dancers she performed alongside.

Hofstra University’s 2024 Fall Dance Concert was Bryanna’s second time participating in a faculty dance performance. As she was an understudy for the 2024 Spring Dance Concert. However, this semester she was casted in Rachel List’s Along the Riverbank.

Every rehearsal is run differently to the choreographer’s liking. Along the Riverbank was run once a week for three hours. List made her piece very collaborative, as she took the dancer’s suggestions and even had improv within her piece. However, she remained very hands-on to make sure her vision came through. 

Once the show crept closer, the tensions started rising. Tech is when the dancers tried on the costumes and waited through the lighting cues. There were some costume switches, but Bryanna was glad that she did not have to change. This experience took up more energy, as she was at the playhouse for longer, but not always dancing. The lights were particularly blinding, as the side lighting and Bryanna’s positions were perfectly aligned. 

Dress rehearsal, Monday through Wednesday, was a blur. The call-time was 6:00 pm sharp. For Bryanna, this meant going straight to the Playhouse after class or work and picking up a snack at Bits & Bytes. She would take this time to either do homework or chat with other castmates, like Denivia. Every day, MoVoM, the dance major club, would bring snacks, candy, and food to help boost dancer morale. Warm-ups would always happen 45 minutes after call time and taught by a choreographer or senior. With there being so many dancers in the concert, there was no room especially in the back, but Bryanna continued making the best of it. As each warm-up ended, Bryanna would rush downstairs to complete her make-up to make it back upstage 30 minutes later. 

Being the first in the show was nerve-wracking but also exciting. Knowing that the cast had at least 10 minutes to get accustomed to the stage allowed Bryanna to shake out all of her nerves. Every performance Bryanna gave it her all and connected with everyone on stage. By the time it was the last show, she was exhausted but grateful for what this opportunity afforded her.

Denivia and Bryanna before their final performance of Along the Riverbank.