On May 2, Fieldston’s Dance Company hosted its second and final dance assembly of the year, marking Robert O’Neil’s final outing as director of the Fieldston Dance Department. The program of student and faculty-choreographed pieces drew from a wide variety of themes and music styles. This memorable event was a testament to the Fieldston dance tradition.
Paloma Hostin (Form VI) choreographed the first dance, “Pȃro; Rigor Samsa; Liberosis,” to the song “Hope” by NF. Clad in all white, the performers represented the ins and outs of hope, during mental illness. The audience collectively held its breath as the music barreled to a climax, only remembering to exhale when the stage went dark.
Coco Weinstein-Cambrier (Form IV) choreographed the next dance: “Girls? We Run the World” to Beyonce’s girl power ballad “Run the World (Girls).” Weinstein-Cambrier’s extensive hip-hop knowledge shined through as the dance quartet, dressed in jeans and white shirts, left a lasting impression on the audience.
Logan Farmer (Form V), the choreographer of the next dance, “In the Lens,” used a quote as inspiration for her dance: “The lure of the spotlight fades fast when you’re in it, as it is replaced by the weight of constant scrutiny. Sometimes, the quiet corner feels much brighter.” A trio of dancers clad in stringy purple tops danced to “Fade” by Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West. The performance utilized a combination of skillful dance moves and creative light effects to create an immersive experience for the audience.
Fieldston physics teacher Juan Botella choreographed the penultimate dance, “Anthropocene.” Botella’s dance served as an outlet for his creativity and a call for action against climate change. His dance began with an all-green backdrop and light music as he mimicked frolicking around the earth and playing in a stream. Then he began to mimic mining the earth as the backdrop turned a hazy yellow. When he took a break to play in the water again, he found that it was polluted and dirty, so he returned to his mining work and found the air was heating up. The yellow backdrop turned to a scarlet red as the climate change progressed, until eventually, unable to stand the harsh conditions anymore, Botella collapsed. The backdrop turned to gray as a woman came out with a single tree which Botella reached towards as the stage lights cut out. Form IV’s Hannah Sáez-Zadoff responded positively to the dance stating, “The dance about climate change was very impressive with a powerful message about who gets affected!”
The final dance, “Let’s Go Barbie!” choreographed by Remy Lipman (Form VI), included a mash-up of songs from the “Barbie” soundtrack. The audience perked up as the performers, clad all in pink, danced to Charlie XCX’s “Speed Drive” and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night.” Fan favorites such as “I’m Just Ken,” and “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice elicited loud cheers from the audience, while the opening notes of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” caused several audience members to gasp with anticipation and even some to tear up.
As usual, the dance assembly was a hit. Sáez-Zadoff stated, a sentiment surely shared by the rest of the audience, “I thought it was really fun to watch!! You could tell all the dancers had worked hard on their pieces. All the music was stuck in my head the rest of the day!” Using a perfect blend of happy and sad, carefree and thoughtful, the assembly left a lasting impression.
