Last Thursday October 6, Colegio had an opportunity to witness one of the most talented organizations our institution has to offer. As a fundraising event for their upcoming Universal Dance Association (UDA) National College Championship 2017, the University of Puerto Rico- Mayagüez’s Dance Team organized “Conoce Tu Dance Team,” an event with more than 25 performances, group and solo, all choreographed individually by these year’s Dance Team members.
The event drew a generously large crowd to the Rafael A. Mangual campus coliseum by inviting them to be part of a beautiful evening by our university’s more gifted dancers. Jesús Acevedo Rivera, a 5-year dance team head coach, started the event by thanking the crowd for their presence and their continued support. At 9:00 p.m., the event began with a dedication piece to all the students who have been part of the dance team in previous years. This piece was filled with sangre verde, as it depicted the Dance Team’s trajectory while introducing this year’s 10 new members. The strong movements and the precise coordination of this piece, made it worthy of our university’s praise, and in my eyes, embodied the noted pride of being a Colegial bulldog.
Throughout the event, the crowd acted as one; the synchronized cheers, gasps and applause were proof of each dancer’s skillful ability to touch a deep part of our sensibility. The performances covered a wide range of dance categories from modern contemporary pieces to the more tropical styles like salsa, which gave the audience plenty of variety of taste.
The salsa dances were performed by some members of the dance team as well as an added collaboration from BE on Heels and Ballet Escenario, Mayagüez’s renowned salsa academy.
Some of the pieces carried significantly strong messages, all relevant to our community. These highlighted topics like stereotypes, body image, sexual orientation, paranoia, and rape. It goes without saying these performances touched everybody in the audience. The way each dancer presented their respective piece was indeed admirable.
Each dance piece had momentum; each dance piece had passion; each dance piece had its dancer’s heart pouring out of its movements. Some made us laugh, some made us lose our breath, and some had us on our feet dancing to the beat.
This effect can only be achieved by hard work and dedication. On an interview with Her Campus UPRM, Jesús Acevedo Rivera (coach) confirmed, “the effort put into this event is one of hard and strenuous work.” Even though his students have heavy academic loads, he indicated “they are able to distribute their time to prepare a quality event for their most noted fans and for the general public as well.”
Once the event was over, Jesús expressed feeling “satisfied with the results, from the attendance of an excellent crowd, to providing an excellent performance.” As for the national competition, they will be attending January 2017, he communicated having the expectation of coming back home with another award and improving their own scores from previous years.
If you missed this magnificent event, like and follow the UPRM Dance Team’s Facebook page for updates on upcoming events. All pictures provided by Del Mar Visuals Video and Photography.