Blending pulsating dance moves and a whole lot of soul, Fusion Dance Company is gearing up for the completion of its annual spring showcase, The Factory.
Playing on hip-hop, jazz, swing, modern, break dancing and some ballet influence, the show will feature all of its 27 dancers in 20 original pieces choreographed by members of Fusion.
“We wanted a big change from last year’s show,” says Weinberg senior Rachel Pike, who serves as artistic director on Fusion’s executive board. “We wanted an urban feel for this show, hence the theme. I think the theme lends itself to sound; the idea of a factory has movement and rhythm encoded within it.”
A little over an hour long, the show maintains a steady and continuous pace – with no intermissions and no breaks in between each sequence, a first for the group.
“This year, we wanted a show that was more of an actual production,” Pike says. “For the first time, there are no blackouts and there is continuous music, so that the audience has a chance to really feel our performance. The pace of this year’s show is quite different from last year’s performance. We’ve changed it from a variety show with little stops in between so that our members are dancing throughout a work day.”
According to Pike, each dance sequence is assigned a different hour of the day.
“When we were choreographing the dances, we considered the different times of the work day and integrated the concept into the numbers,” she says. “In fact, the first dance of the show starts with us waking up and rolling out of bed.”
The dancers undergo several costume changes for each sequence, sporting impressively simple yet flashy outfits that reflect the radical changes in tempo and style of music.
“We also have the costuming down this year,” Pike says. “It has come a long way from the first year, when several of the girls and I were ripping up clothes and trying to sew them back together to try and make them look hot.”
In tying the theme together, the dancers also make use of several different props, including lunch trays, brooms and rags. And a somewhat mechanical voice can also be heard throughout the show, occasionally reminding the workers to “get back to work.”
“Essentially I think the show is a showcase of the amount of growth and change that Fusion has undergone,” Pike says. “It developed itself from an idea to what it is right now – an amazing and vibrant group. I’m really proud of the fact that Fusion is co-ed and, even more so, incredibly diverse. We all come from different communities, different backgrounds, and have become a unique family.”
Founded in 2003, Fusion was created to fill the void of a hip-hop dance group on campus.
“When I first got to NU, there was no hip-hop dance group,” Pike says. “I started Fusion with a couple of sophomores and Jessica Harris, our company manager. When we first began, we only performed in showcases for other dance groups on campus and didn’t really have any of our own shows. But during my sophomore year, things started coming together for Fusion, especially with respect to performances. And now, in my senior year, we have a co-ed company. I never would’ve imagined that we would have such a hugely talented and dedicated group. I am simply thrilled.”
Surprisingly, Fusion does not require any dance experience in its members.
“We want to get people who can move and pick up choreography quickly,” says senior Jessica Harris, the company manager. “But the main thing is heart. They’ve got to have the passion to do it. After all, you can be the most experienced dancer and be taught choreography, but if you can’t learn style, (something’s missing). We bank on that and try not to limit our possibilities.”
Fusion’s no-experience-needed policy highlights the fact that none of the company’s dancers are dance majors, Pike says.
“I never had any formal dance training,” Weinberg junior Casey Liang says. “I danced for fun in a high school dance group, but that was about it.”
Although he’s known about Fusion since his freshman year, Liang only decided to join this year.
“I’m definitely a latecomer,” Liang says. “For the first two years, I was really busy with school and everything else and kept missing the auditions. But this year I decided that I would try out and do something fun, something that I actually want to do. And now here I am.”
Fusion also offers hip-hop dance classes every Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. at Blomquist Gym. The cost is $3 per session. A new dance routine is taught for each class. All skill levels are welcome.
The Factory plays at Tech Auditorium Fri., May 5, and Sat., May 6, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. and Sun., May 7, at 5 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for adults and are available at the Norris Box Office or at the door.
For more information, visit groups.northwestern.edu/fusion.
Medill freshman Taren Fujimoto is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
