El Camino’s annual “Fall Advance Dance Concert” was held in the Campus Theatre from Dec. 1-4.
The show’s theme was “Elements of Process,” in which most of the dances choreographed by students and faculty were inspired by photography.
There were many different dance pieces varying from a goofy and silly “Awkward Family Photos” to a photograph-inspired brotherly rivalry “Coward.”
Many dance pieces consisted of telling a story about real world problems, ranging from immigration to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Abierta/Cerrada” is written in Spanish and translates into “Open/Closed,” in which it “addresses the flagrant rise in anti-immigrant violence and the increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids,” according to the event program.
The piece started off with the dancers entering stage shouting, “go back where you came from” and a couple vulgarities that represented what comments immigrants must endure.
One of the dance members came out to the front step of the stage and asked the left side of the audience to stand up and show them their ID.
The ones who didn’t have one had to stay standing and (the dance member) said, “the rest of you are in trouble.”
“The fact that people know this is a problem and are sending out a message is really refreshing, because I know that soon laws are going to change,” Andrea Huerta, 23, political science major, said.
Though many pieces did have a message to send, many others were fun and engaged the audience.
According to the event program, a dance piece called “Str!ke A Po$e” was “inspired by the work of a fashion photographer, Helmut Newton (and it) juxtaposed the glossy perfection of high fashion photos against the darker behind the scenes side of the fashion world.”
“There were so many things going on, that I felt like I was at a night club,” ShonTaye Morris, 27, finance major, said. “I just wanted to get on stage and dance with them.”
The dance was very fast-paced and even included strobe lights. The dancers were dressed in skin tight clothing, as if they were going to a dance club.
The audience was filled with many students who chose to attend the performance because of a class requirement, as well as some of the general public.
“I’m in a beginner’s dance class and we had to come to this performance to get class credit, but I’m glad I came,” Brian Graham, 18, undecided major, said. “I’m considering majoring in dance now.”
