With their chorus line and shimmering costumes, the 65 dancers of Glendale Community College’s 32nd annual spring dance concert “razzle dazzled” their audience, just as they promised in their opening number.
Pperformers from the ballet workshop, jazz workshop and the Artist-in-Residence Class danced to and choreographed a medley of performances ranging from the tunes of Joe Cocker in “Cocker Doodle Do” to Michael Jackson in “In the Closet.”
Charging no admission fees and funded by the ASGCC, the dancers put on their opening performance at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, in the north gym dance theatre, where it ran until Sunday, June 2.
“The costumes and music make the show really spectacular. I really enjoy seeing my sister perform at her peak,” said Artin Gharibian, 19. Ivet Gharibian, his sister, performed in the number called “Trip Hop.”
Audience member Aimnee Benitez, 21, who was in the dance performance in spring 2001, came to support her friends in the 2002 performance. “I felt like I missed out, but I’m going back next semester,” she said. “It went really, really good, and I’m really proud of my friends,” she said. Her friend Brittany Schreiber choreographed the number called “Rip Push More.”
“In the pieces we have modern dance, jazz, hip hop, ballet.. We got everything,” said artistic director Lynn McMurrey, who danced on Broadway in “A Chorus Line.”
Although dancer-choreographer Emma Mesrobian, 21, said this was her first semester performing, she has been taking lessons since an early age. She put together the piece titled “Objection Tango.”
“My dancers worked really hard, and we all pulled through,” she said.
Sound designer Robin Ward, 40, and assistant director Patt Paczynski did a piece together called
“Destiny Beckons.” The two moved serenely to a calm tune when an abrupt lighting change occurred and a seductive song by April Stevens began to play, catching the audience delightfully off guard.
Yet this too was unexpectedly cut short when costumer Bonnie Shipston interrupted them, claiming, “That’s my song . cut!” Ward and Paczynski were depicting “a serious modern dance that runs into technical difficulties,” Paczynski said.
In her pink frills and blonde wig, Shipston took everyone by surprise.
Though she works behind the scenes constructing costumes, which she has been doing since 1992, she has a very active and important role in the scheme of the performance.
“I thought it went very well. I’m so proud of these kids. Each year they get better and better,” she said.
“It’s a lot of physical pain and emotional pain,” said Paczynski. “Lynn [McMurrey] calls it `an emotional roller coaster,'” she said. The students are always concentrating on perfecting their moves and whether they could have jumped higher or done better, she said.