The City Dance Fall 2024 Concert is an exciting yearly show directed by Cristal Tiscareno that took place from Nov. 8-10 at the Fresno City College Theatre.
The concert opened up with a fun dance called “Let’s Do This” directed by Tiscareno and Mikayla Davis. All the dancers for this song perform to a jazzy song while wearing orange hues and use free style dancing on and off the stage.
The opening performance set a warm and exciting tone for the rest of the show.
The rest of the show demonstrated a wide variety of student skills including music and dance.
Jacob Gasca, a student choreographer with City Dance, said the last piece of the show was his favorite dance. “Alice,” choreographed by student Haley Gilpin, featured all of the dancers dressed in black and white performing a dark but deep technical piece.
This wasn’t my personal favorite as it felt a little confusing but I still enjoyed the technique and especially the clothes and lighting.
Gasca mentioned how it was tricky to find out what should come next, but was able to connect it all together in the end.
A dance that sparked my interest was “FC Sea – A Pirates Curse” which included a mash up of songs that gave off a pop vibe. Dancers were dressed up in pirate outfits and simulated fighting with each with props to add to the atmosphere.
“It’s very rewarding,” Gasca said. “It’s my fifth time performing with City Dance, you just grow super close relationships with the dance community.”
Hazle Lee, one of the student dancers for the show said she had an amazing time on and behind the stage.
She also described preparing for the show as “late nights and working hard, but also a lot of bonding with my teammates.”
Lee said “Let’s Do This,” was her favorite since it’s jazzy and funky.
A mentionable favorite of mine was “Fit In or Fit Out” that was guest choreographed by Hannah Miller. It showcased a smaller group of dancers who wore all black with square sunglasses that covered a large part of their face.
The composition played into the strengths of a dark stage and flashing white lights as dancers huddled in close together with sharp movements that made for an eye-catching watch.
The event is absolutely something I would go to again, as there were many exciting and impressive performances throughout the night.
Most don’t think about it, but the sheer amount of work that goes into everything besides dancing, such as clothes and lighting bring everything together to make for a memorable experience.
