A contemporary dance choreographed by Brooke Mahoney entitled "Body Love".
Photo by Laurie Vlamis

The Marist College Dance Ensemble (MCDE) held sold-out shows on both Nov. 5 and 6, bringing various dances to the stage and sparking a wave of excitement in the crowd. Entitled “Fusion,” this showcase highlighted the blend of diverse dances.

Kaitlyn Belinsky ‘23 and Emily Rozario ‘23 choreographed “Vamos a Bailar” together, an intermediate hip-hop dance. “After we ended the first act, we heard so many cheers and screams and that’s how we knew we did something so special,” said Belinsky. In their eyes, both Rozario and Belinsky see a new chapter beginning for Spanish music and further diversity within MCDE’s hip-hop category.

With more than 300 members, MCDE is one of Marist’s largest clubs. Anyone can join with no prior experience required. There are no tryouts and each person is guaranteed to be part of at least one dance. Dances of all kinds were present in this semester’s showcase, with hip hop, contemporary, Irish step dancing, jazz, tap and more, each offering levels from beginner to advanced.

The flexibility of being able to choose what dances you want, how many and the level of difficulty was highly enticing for members like Elizabeth Allan ‘24. Reminiscing on the joy that dance brought her as a child, Allan knew that MCDE was for her. “Having the Dance Ensemble here kind of brought back the spark of dance which was really nice,” said Allan.

But for others like Belinsky, college was the start of something new. “I really didn’t pick up dance until junior year of college,” said Belinsky. “I joined for my friends. We’re all in it and I wanted to be part of something more on campus.”

For Rozario, secretary of MCDE, this club was one of the reasons she chose Marist. “It was kind of part of my decision to come here because I loved it in high school so I wanted to have a club where I could dance and it’s open to anyone,” said Rozario. She found that this club helps to channel her passion for dance and serves as a great stress reliever when school sometimes feels overwhelming. But most importantly, she found comfort in its sense of community.

A contemporary dance choreographed by Emily Stanzione entitled "1000 Doves".
Photo by Laurie Vlamis

President of MCDE Julia Romero ‘23 has made it her mission to make MCDE feel exactly that – like a community. “As president, my goal is to get to know as many people as possible, so that was my reason for taking six classes and different levels,” said Romero. “I really wanted to get to know the people because I feel like the freshmen are like, ‘Oh the board has no idea who I am,’ but then I see them on our campus and I know their names and they get really excited.”

Romero has had a passion for dancing since she was three years old, so when she found MCDE, she felt right at home. “It’s exactly what dance is to me and what it was like growing up,” said Romero.

This showcase was Romero’s third time choreographing, this time for an advanced contemporary dance to “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion in dedication to her parents' wedding song.

With 24 great dances and two sold-out shows, MCDE brought this semester to a close. “This week has started without dance and it’s so sad,” said Allan. But, the spring showcase is already in the works. April 22 and 23 are the expected dates for the next show and one can only imagine what it has in store.

Dance Ensemble Sells Out Fall Showcase

MARIST CIRCLE