The Iona College Dance Ensemble held their annual spring concert “Reflection in Action” on April 7 and 8. Both individuals in and outside of the Iona community were able to attend the event in the Murphy Auditorium. The showcase highlighted various ways of physically expressing oneself through movement through a variety of different genres and dance styles. Students, faculty and invited artists participated in the event and highlighted their dancing techniques through a variety of different performances.  

The event consisted of 11 unique performances that were choreographed and performed by students and faculty with each focusing on its own unique theme and style. Dancers performed their pieces live on stage while certain performances such as the opening “Reflection in Action” and “A Cleanse” incorporated pre-recorded footage in their performances. The performances explored a wide variety of themes and messages from the internal struggles of self-esteem issues through “Hate” or the light-hearted and cheeriness of romance within “Bring Back the Love.” A variety of different styles of dance were highlighted within the event as well such as “Overcoming” using ballet movements to articulate different representations of beauty alongside “La Cultura” which showcased different styles of Latin dance such as Salsa and Tango to highlight how they can help shape one’s own cultural identity. “La Cultura” and other performances such as “Girl throughout the Seasons” were impressively choreographed by students and allowed them to showcase their individual talents.  

Director of the Iona College Arts and Language Department and curator of the event, Dr. Hannah Park, believes the event provided the members of the Dance Ensemble the opportunity to express the themes of the performances and their own individual techniques that they’ve honed. 

“​​As a director, it was an honor to witness the dancers reflecting on the hopes and visions that are needed for a new beginning, through creative processes, both personal and on important matters that lead to growth and connection through embodiment.” writes Dr. Park. “Throughout the process, the dancers sought to explore the meaning of self, others, and matters that are important to them, whether those might be personal, spiritual or philosophical. We congratulate all the performers for their work as creative artists, thinkers and collaborators.”  

Through “Reflection in Action,” the Iona College Dance Ensemble gave student performers a chance to express themselves and their talents through a variety of powerful performances.