The theme of this year’s student-run Dance Open is “drop what you know.” Director Sayer Mansfield ’10 encouraged student choreographers to leave their comfort zones, try unfamiliar styles of dance and to experiment with new movements and formations.

The Dance Open opened Thursday night in Steinbach Theater and will run through this weekend. The four performances sold out as early as Tuesday.

“The Dance Open is probably the most popular dance show of the year,” said Jenny Zhou ’...