The Fall 2018 Iona Dance Symposium took place in the Murphy Auditorium on Sept. 26. Titled “Diverse Dance Experiences,” the symposium welcomed guest artists to give master classes in styles such as flamenco, hip-hop, West African and jazz.

Dr. Hannah Park, assistant professor for the Fine and Performing Arts department, introduced the Dance Symposium by encouraging the audience to find inspiration from the master classes.

“This is for you to experience dance by exposing yourself to different dance styles,” Park said.

Rebeca Tomás, the founder and director of A Palo Seco Flamenco Company in New York, was the first instructor. Accompanied by a live guitarist, Tomás introduced techniques fundamental to the art of flamenco dancing.

She began her class by giving a brief introduction of the origins of the flamenco, stating that the dance began before the time of Columbus in Andalusia, the southern region of Spain.

Tomás showed participants how to use distinct motions in the flamenco dance, which include exotic arm movements, eloquent hand gestures and intricate foot techniques. She also demonstrated how to use percussion instruments called castanets, which flamenco dancers use in their performances.

Tomás guided the participants through every movement and gesture. After practicing a variety of rhythmic patterns and movements, she decided that they would put together their own choreography.

“At this point you should start owning it in your head,” Tomás said.

When their time together was coming to an end, Tomás broke the participants into groups and had them perform the choreographed dance for the audience. Each performance ended with a round of applause.

Following Tomás’ session was hip-hop with Shawn Rawls, a professional dancer, teacher and choreographer. His training in martial arts and street dance gave his hip-hop dancing a unique voice and style.

Rawls introduced the history of hip-hop followed by a demonstration of how to execute certain hip-hop movements. Rawls combined old school and contemporary hip-hop styles in his demonstration.

After hip-hop, Lisa Harvie taught the master class in jazz. Harvie has been a dance teacher in New York for 18 years. During her session, Harvie focused on the connection between the mind and the body. Not only did she emphasize the importance of technique, but highlighted that feelings and emotions are equally as significant and should be expressed through each movement.

The last master class of the day was West African dance with Andrea Markus, who has a master’s degree in Dance Education from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

Accompanied by live drumming, participants learned how to dance in sync to the beat of the drum. They performed a series of elaborate movements that embodied the traditions of West African dance.

What made the Symposium so compelling was that participants were able to step outside of their comfort zones and learn something new. Both the participants and those who watched the performances were able to experience the positive energy and liveliness that radiated from the stage.