Bonaventure’s hip-hop team will host its annual hip-hop show in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, with an “Alice in Wonderland” theme. Just like the White Rabbit, the dancers are in a race for time to hit the stage on April 28-29.
Freshman sociology major and hip-hop team member Brooke Astley said the team’s last show, which was Halloween themed, was a definite success. The team is expecting a sold-out show for this upcoming event, Astley said.
Performing choreography to old and new hits, the team will recreate scenes from the novel and film “Alice in Wonderland.” Attendees can also expect to hear popular tunes such as Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” and Flo Rida and T-Pain’s collaboration “Low.”
“I think that this event is a good way to see how dance can exhibit a film,” Astley said. “We are portraying all the weird scenes and characters from the movie, and I think it will be interesting to see the way we can portray that using dance. Also it will be fun to see us acting as the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ characters—especially with all their peculiar mannerisms.”
For the hip-hop team, incorporating this extensive story into a short production is not easy, they said. Likewise, the team said it hopes to bring comedy into the performance, while still staying true to the well-known classic. Many team members said the performance will be one of the most unique productions they have ever put on.
“One thing I hear a lot is, ‘What does the hip-hop team have planned next?’” Dasey Taylor, a senior journalism and mass communication major and dancer, said. “I think ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was something they’d never expect us to do — even though each end-of-the-year show is always a cool surprise. Since ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a popular film, I think people are interested in finding out how we incorporate the whole movie into a mini production.”
The dancers said the work they put into the dances is far from easy. From team tryouts to finding the perfect outfit for each dancer, the team works for months to ensure that each performance is a campus-wide success.
Once on the team, the dancers undergo weekly practices to perfect their choreography, which is typically created by hip-hop team coach and senior history major Jacqueline Gertner. Then, as the official performances approach, dancers said that practices are scheduled more often, become more rigorous and last for longer hours.
As each segment of the performance features a different genre, the outfits needed for each dance differ as well.
“We do have costumes already in our storage, so sometimes we use those,” Gertner said. “If certain themes require a certain look, we will go to dance stores or make our own costumes.”
Once the dances have been perfected, every costume is in order and every hair is in place, the dancers are finally ready to perform. As the curtains to each performance open, the team said it tries its best to give its all. With all the work that they put into these dances, the team said they always hope for a good turn out.
“Coming to the show, I think it’s very fun,” Gertner said. “It’s very comical and it’s definitely over the top and outrageous. I think that it’s going to be very exciting.”
Junior education major Meaghan Tederous will perform the lead role of Alice.
The show will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets — $3 for students and $5 for adults — are available in The Quick Center ticket booth.
mcgurllt14@bonaventure.edu
