On Thursday, Nov. 21, Friday, Nov. 22, and Saturday, Nov. 23, Kelsey Theater was in motion with — and, simultaneously, entranced by — the annual Senior Dance Concert.
Titled “Until We’re Together,” the concert showcased the senior capstone projects of this year’s graduating class of dance majors: Bea Beaman ’25, Morgan Burkum ’25, Andrea Hanson ’25, Angelita Higareda ’25, Gibran Murrieta ’25, Yolanda Pauly ’25, and Ella Vanderkolff ’25. It was the culmination of over a semester’s hard work, as pieces were proposed last spring and rehearsed throughout the fall.
Each senior was given the choice of either performing a solo piece commissioned by a choreographer, creating a written thesis, or choreographing their own piece involving dancers from multiple class years. This fall, they participated in a seminar course largely focused on preparing for the concert.
As the house lights dimmed for each performance to begin, a hush quickly fell over the theater. A collective sense of awe could be felt as incredibly talented groups of Ole dancers took the stage, transfixing the audience with their impeccable, expressive movement. While each of the concert’s eight pieces presented a unique feel and message, one similarity was undeniable: the dancers — and the emotions they conveyed — were powerful.
Burkum’s piece, titled “Still I Held,” was inspired by Maira Kalman’s book, “Women Holding Things.” Through her own choreography, she sought to represent the many different things women can hold — both physically and conceptually — and how the pressure of holding things can lead to mental health challenges and big emotions.
Choreographing “Still I Held” was a valuable opportunity for Burkum to challenge herself and grow. She took an exploratory route, structuring rehearsals around journaling and discussion activities in addition to dance, designed to encourage each dancer to consider what the piece meant to them.
“I wanted it to be their piece as much as it was mine,” Burkum said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger.
Hanson’s piece was titled “Boundaries and Realms: Navigating Global Arts (BARNGA).” Also through her own choreography, she simulated cross-cultural interactions and conflict, drawing inspiration from the card game BARNGA. The game, created by scientist Sivasailam Thiagarajan, is designed for players to consider their assumptions during cross-cultural interactions. Hanson used chance operations in her creative process, inviting a small group of audience members to participate in a dice-roll activity 15 minutes before the concert to randomly determine the order of the piece’s four parts. The music was recorded by St. Olaf Taiko.
“Finally seeing it [performed] in Kelsey theater was such a surreal moment,” Hanson said. “It was awesome to share, and it’s awesome to receive feedback from people who weren’t along with the process and have an outsider’s perspective on the dance.”
Both Burkum and Hanson consider the experience of working on and participating in the Senior Dance Concert to have been positive, as well as an opportunity to continue bonding as a senior class.
“It was a fun experience and I think we got even closer as a class,” Burkum said.
“Our senior class is awesome and I really don’t think I could’ve done it without them,” Hanson said.
