By Channing ’25, Ria ’26, Aubrey ’26, Maddie ’26, Cara ’26, Sydney ’26, Aoife ’25, Addie ’26, Stella ’25, Talise ’25, Penny ’26 and Paloma ’26
On Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, 2022, 44 Marlborough dancers will perform at the All School Dance Concert led by Performing Arts Instructor Holly Rothschild.
Titled “Reconnect,” this year’s concert celebrates dance after COVID-19 affected the beloved annual performance for several years.
“It really does feel like a moment to reconnect and celebrate,” Rothschild said.
With a vast range of experience levels and styles, the dance concert program allows dancers and choreographers to showcase their work and express their individual voice, with a balance between structure and creative freedom.
The UltraViolet reached out to a guest artist, student choreographers and coding students about their roles in this year’s production
Guest artist: Lisa Donmall-Reeve
Lisa Donmall-Reeve, a former West End and Broadway dancer turned film entrepreneur with a project on HBO Max, joined Kenya Clay, a Los Angeles-based hip hop artist, as guest artists and choreographers for the concert.
Donmall-Reeve worked on a piece titled “The Only Way is Jazz,” a musical theater and jazz piece that will be performed by 11 dancers. During her time with the students, Donmall-Reeve remarked how she watched them “grow and push themselves.”
“They have truly become a company of dancers,” Donmall-Reeve said. “I am very proud of them.”
Student choreographers: Lilly ‘23 and Zoë ‘23
Lilly ‘23 is a senior choreographer who has been involved in the school’s dance program for for the duration of her time at Marlborough. When asked about what makes this year’s concert special, she responded: “In its nature, it is very inviting and very experimental. We have a lot of fun trying things we haven’t done before.”
Zoë ‘23, the assistant director of the concert and senior choreographer, helps to clean and space the dances that have been choreographed by the students or guest artists.
She shared a similar sentiment when it comes to the concert: “The All School Dance Concert is bringing together a lot of grades and people you never talk to and it creates this little community for a few weeks. It is really nice to meet new people who also have the same interest.”
Coding students: Kate ‘23 and Emma ‘25
Kate ‘23, a student in this advanced coding class, worked with the dancers to create what she described as an interactive “smoke effect” so her code would react to sound.
Others in the class created code on a java interface that utilizes a depth sensor, which will react to the motion of the dancer and affect the code in the background.
Each unique project will create a distinct background during the dances that will also match a desired color scheme or aesthetic for each performance.
Emma ‘25, another coding student, wrote code that will be used before the concert starts, and Kate created code for short intermissions.
Overall, it’s exciting to see what each of the coding students have created, and they look forward to seeing a performance where academics meets the arts.