Two Bwoggers attend “Dance Moms: Living on the Dance FloOrchesis.” Rather, one Bwogger attends Orchesis and the other attempts to do anything possible to score a ticket. Presented in TWO distinct points of view!!!

Orchesis: a wonderful dance show that I wish I was able to experience. Unfortunately, after paying $5 including $1.59 for tax, I was unable to receive a link TWO nights in a row. Below are some beautiful screenshots from my attempt to revive a link. 

After paying $6 for a ticket: 

Texting my “friends” on “orchesis board”:

When asked if I can receive a link to watch:

All in all after attending every Orchesis show (including COVID-19 streams), except for this semester’s livestream, I would recommend Orchesis to everyone and am looking forward to the next show, where hopefully I will be deemed worthy enough to attend. 

PS (I am an avid watcher of Dance Moms and this show was what I was looking forward to most……) 

Until next year, Orchesis. 

[Vibe Switch] Thankfully, I was privileged enough to watch this show and can speak to its success. 

This semester’s showcase was the first of its kind for Orchesis. Before COVID-19, performances were, of course, in person, and during the height of the pandemic the group used videos of individual dancers, combining them all together to produce a showcase. Now, its performances are not quite back to normal—these ones were watched via livestream (to the detriment of Zach Fisher) but performed for the camera by the full groups, together, in person. 

This turned out to be a very successful endeavor—videography was used to the choreographer’s advantage, highlighting whoever was meant to be center stage, gracefully swooping around the choreography. Some moves even seemed tailored to this new medium. Certain pieces incorporated artful lighting, with various colors and patterns, elevating the work.

The theme was “Dance Moms,” which came through in the attitude and choreography in some interludes and larger group pieces. I think it was a pretty genius idea. Seeing a collective pose that was very Jojo Siwa-esque was always funny. 

There were 11 performances total, with a handful of interludes throughout. Below are just a few highlights from the routines. 

“Avenoir” was an incredible routine choreographed by Athena Pagan, and set to “Another Love” by Tom Odell. This dance worked beautifully with the song choice, with drama and longing embedded into every move. The program included explanations of the concepts behind the dances, with Avenoir inspired by “the desire that memory could flow backwards so you’ll know which relationships will last… and prepare for upcoming mistakes.” 

“New Moon,” a dance set to the beloved Twilight song “Roslyn” and choreographed by Annika Voorheis and Pimprenelle Behaeghel, was another beautiful piece. There were strong storytelling elements here (I cannot necessarily synthesize what the story in question was, but that’s on me). As someone with no proximity to the dance world at all, seeing dancers line up for one to step across their backs like stepping stones was exciting, as was the collective lifting of one dancer that everyone around me termed a “Jesus lift.” Please don’t quote me on terminology. 

“Don’t Cha,” choreographed by Bri Vigorito and set to the song of the same name by the Pussycat was electric—upbeat, sexy, and overall truly fun. Dancers donned cheetah print and camo, and combined ballet moves with hip hop. 

“Dance Moms: Living on the Floorchesis” was a joy to watch. There was a range of skill levels throughout the different performances; whether or not a routine was necessarily breathtaking, it was always high energy and intentional. This group has definitely gained a fan. 

Dance Moms via Orchesis [Aka Wikimedia]