Last Friday and Saturday night, student choreographers and dancers joined together in a production that featured emotion, storytelling, and dance. Choreographed by Seniors Alex Giarnese ’25, Jac Gordon ’25, and Tara Wei ’25, THD902’s “Ordinary Days” reflected weeks of dedication. Despite challenges with scheduling and attendance, the performance made a lasting impact on both the choreographers and the audience.
Choreographer Jac Gordon ’25, felt that her hard work and dedication over the past few months ultimately paid off. The final production was an accurate representation of her, and her choreographic talents.
Gordon said, “Tara, me, and Alex put in a lot of work over the term, and I think we were all very proud of the outcome. It definitely showcased who we are as people and as dancers, and I’m so proud of all three of us for coming up with the vision and the concept and the lighting and the choreography, and I think overall it was just such a great production.”
“Ordinary Days” highlighted the beauty in the mundane, bringing attention to the small everyday moments that may go overlooked. The performance’s blend of heartfelt pieces – like Giarnese’s emotional work centered on grief, and Gordon’s high energy hip-hop piece–showcased the power of dance to capture both the intimate and vibrant sides of life.
“I went to the performance because I had a lot of friends here both performing and also the choreographers for the performance, so I wanted to come out to support…I think my favorite part was either Alex’s last piece — that piece made me almost cry, it was so sweet— or Jac’s hip hop pieces, because those ate. Alex’s piece, all of it together was [about] grief, and the last piece was so warm. He’s one of my closest friends so seeing that, it was really sweet, and really special” shared Amina Gorman ’26.
The performances’ diversity in themes and choreography allowed each piece to stand out while still feeling unified. Attendee Mia Burton ’25, highlighted how the choreographers brought their own distinct emotions and styles to the stage.
“I think that they were all pretty separate. And they had their speeches in the beginning where they each said what their theme was. Tara’s was kind of bright and uplifting. Jac seemed more like a genre study analysis with a story. I think that they were all very separate and yet cohesive, especially when they use the same artists for songs. There was some Radiohead, there was some Billie Eilish,” said Burton.
Burton appreciated the creativity displayed in each piece, particularly in Gordon’s choreography to “L’amour De Ma Vie” by Billie Eilish. The dynamic shift in style and dramatic stage changes showcased Gordon’s innovative approach to captivating an audience
“I think that my favorite was Jac’s dance during “L’amour De Ma Vie” by Billie Eilish. I think that was a great song. And when they came out in the shiny shirts there was a huge stage change with the lights and there were strobe lights. And it was a huge genre shift in what her dances had previously been in the beginning of her piece. And I felt that it really displayed her creativity as a choreographer,” said Burton.
Wei, choreographer of “Orange Exuberance”, recognized that the process of creating her piece went far beyond just choreography, as she was responsible for every aspect of her piece. She acknowledged how the role required her to consider the broader picture, including details she had not anticipated.
“I took away that it takes a lot to just put something together. So to just choreograph is so different than having to think about the lighting or even what to say in your speech. There were so many smaller things that I didn’t think about going into this. And I realized that I had to start thinking about costuming and the formations instead of just the choreography,” said Wei.
Though the process may have been extensive, Wei felt deeply moved by the final performance. Watching her vision unfold on stage and seeing her dancers passionately bring it to life was a testament to her hard work.
“It was really exciting to see the visions that I [had] come to life and to watch my dancers actually be able to perform with the lighting and the music that I chose. So it was really beautiful to watch it all come together,” said Wei. She continued, “My favorite part of it was watching from the wings and cheering them on as they went and performed, and watching such raw emotions so close to them. Although I couldn’t watch it in the audience, I was able to watch it in some capacity and it was just as beautiful and moving.”
Unfortunately, this 902 production faced attendance challenges due to timing conflicts and overlapping events. Despite this, choreographers were thankful for the support of those who could attend, particularly their friends who made an effort to be there.
Gordon said, “Because of the timing of the show, unfortunately not many people were able to come due to the blizzard and then Casino Night; I wish that we could have changed the timing a bit so more people could have come. We also had ADF the previous weekend, which meant that people were kind of burnt out from dance, but we did well considering the people that came. And the people that were most important to us came like our friends, so that was all that mattered.
“Ordinary Days” resonated deeply with dancers, choreographers, and its audience, as it highlighted the storytelling capabilities of dance. Gordon, Wei, and Giarnese each brought their unique visions to life, conveying complex emotions and narratives.
“Watching the other dancers bring to life their stories was just super impressive. It just reminded me of the fact that I’m surrounded by people that have these great minds and that, you know, dancers have so many ways of telling stories and I feel like they go underappreciated sometimes. So it’s really fun to watch that come to life in the studio,” said Burton.
