Bwog Daily Editor Peyton Ayers and Staff Writer Elle Ferguson give you the juicy details on Orchesis’ show in case you missed it or want to relive its glory. 

This spring Orchesis presented another amazing set of original choreography by Columbia students. Keeping their work accessible to all audience members, Orchesis relayed the pure joy and inclusivity of dance to all.

Orchesis is known for their cheeky themes each semester, with this semester being no exception. Bear, Beets, Battlestar GalactOrchesis was the theme, an homage to a number of classic sitcoms — The Office, Friends, and Seinfeld to name a few. The interludes dispersed throughout the show incorporated the shows’ iconic theme songs paired with exceptionally choreographed, numerous dances (our personal favorite was the That 70’s Show inspired disco dance routine — it was beautiful). The show ended with the entire cast dancing to the theme song from The Office. These short interlude pieces show the amazing spirit that Orchesis dancers have. Working with dancers of very different backgrounds and levels of experience, the mission of the group is to have fun and put on a lively show — which they certainly did.

This semester’s setlist did a great job of balancing hip-hop styles with contemporary/modern choreography. Each dance showcased something unique about the choreographer’s artistry and about the dancers in the piece. New to the art fo choreography, Xixi Wang (BC ’22) debuted an incredible and original piece to the poem “Phenomenal Women” by Maya Angelou. One of the greatest things that Orchesis brings to the theater is a real sense of community and friendship — with over 100 people in the cast, many students and adults attended to support others, making the audience’s reactions authentic and energetic.

After the show, the e-board and head choreographers met with us to discuss their goals in producing Orchesis. E-board members Gianna Raimo, Sophie Visscher-Lubinizki, and Kat Bartley stressed the importance of keeping Orchesis a fully accessible organization for absolutely everyone on campus — no one who auditions is turned away. The e-board stressed the importance of making Orchesis a loving, inclusive creative community, urging anyone and everyone even remotely interested in dance (even if you have literally zero experience) to give it a shot at some point during your time at Columbia. The show’s choreographers put hours of work into creating pieces that can be learned by people from all backgrounds.

poster via Orchesis Facebook Page.