Freshmen Zackery Torres and Camryn Pearson in Dwight Rhoden's Hissy Fits | Photo by Carolyn DiLoreto

By Evan Sagadencky

Amid all my preconceived notions and anxieties about performing in my first midterm showing at USC Kaufman, the overwhelming support and love from students and faculty alike made my first showing with Kaufman an unforgettable experience. The show consisted of excerpts of master works from world renowned choreographers, including among others, George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?,” Paul Taylor’s “Company B,” and William Forsythe’s “The Vile Parody of Address.” Myself, along with the freshman class of 2021, performed an excerpt of Dwight Rhoden’s “Hissy Fits.” Having the opportunity to be a part of such sophisticated choreography elevated the freshman class from workshopping to artistic expression.

Quick change into commercial work

I also performed in Christian Vincent’s “Beautiful People,” a commercial jazz piece that blended our technical abilities and our passion to move. This was a unique experience because not only did we get to perform for the USC Village Opening Ceremonies alongside other disciplines, but we brought this to our stage, further pushing forward ‘The New Movement’ by blending our concert and commercial works. It was also a particularly exciting moment for the freshmen, because we were able to work with the sophomores (class of 2020) and juniors (class of 2019). We each brought our best foot forward for this midterm and helped push the piece in a genuinely exciting direction.

Strength in numbers

Having performed these complex works in front of an audience for the first time could have been anxiety-provoking, however, timed with Parent’s Weekend, we had the encouragement of our family, friends, and Kaufman faculty, which made it possible for each of us to experiment artistically while staying true to the choreographer’s vision of the piece. Watching and dancing with my peers pushed me to a place that I had yet to discover in my own artistry. The excitement kept growing until the end of our last showing, which was concluded with celebratory photos and hugs. All in all, the first midterm showing of the year was a huge success for USC Kaufman, we are beyond excited to continue to grow upon these pieces and perform them in November.