Students sweat as they danced across the floor during the auditions for the New Moves show, a modern dance performance created by students at SF State premiering this November.
Auditioners danced for an hour. This is what they came for – to perform. If chosen, they will perform on stage in front of hundreds at the Mckenna Theater, located in the creative arts building, for the New Moves show: Flux.
As the semester starts, the dance department gears up to start their season of shows and events that are pertinent for the dance majors to take part in.
Around 32 people auditioned Monday night to be selected for one or more pieces, created by the student choreographers who will choose their dancers depending on their style of dance.
Alexis Novak, a junior dance minor, was selected for one of the dances with choreographers she has worked with before in last year’s New Moves.
“I wish I could have done two pieces because I love New Moves so much,” she said.
Novak believes New Moves turns the dancing community into a little family, and that’s why she is excited to do it a second time.
New Moves has been taking place for years. This year’s version, Flux, is going to be determined by the choreographers.
The choreographers of the show select the dancers they want by watching closely as they lunge across the floor, tumbling to the ground in unison to the beat of the song.
Senior dance major, Vanessa Kurrasch, will be co-choreographing this semester. Kurrasch said she will only take six dancers for her piece.
“No two dancers are the same. Each one has a style; the artistry is different,” she said as she observed those auditioning.
The dancers chosen will have to work hard over the next couple of months to be ready for the show in December. To keep them on track, instructor Ray Tadio will oversee the process.
Tadio is instructing the class this semester for the third time. He’s working primarily with student choreographers to prepare their pieces, and is excited about the possibilities that will come from his new team his expectations are high.
“I’m most excited to see their ideas come into fruition,” he said. “They have worked harder and longer this year and they are quite organized.”
This year, he let the choreographers collaborate to create a total of eight pieces to showcase in the theater, and he plans on all of them being seen. In previous years, pieces were cut before they could make it to the Mckenna Theater for show.
He believes that each dance created is worth seeing, and there will be quite a lot to see on stage this year.
Those watching the show will experience a diverse scope of dance, from classic, modern dance to hip hop depending on the way the choreographers and dancers flow.
At the end of the night, those who auditioned wait patiently outside of the studio. As the choreographers deliberated, Alexis Novak waits with the other dancers.
“Going into auditions I am always super nervous” she said. “But this is a tight knit dance community.”
Those who auditioned get called back, each one getting into one piece or another by the end of the night.