The UT Martin Department of Visual Theatre Arts presented their Fall 2024 Dance Ensemble titled What is Christmas? on Nov. 21 and 22 in the Fine Arts building on UT Martin’s campus.
The student dancers performed different choreographed dances to multiple well-known Christmas songs such as Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton and Drummer Boy by Justin Bieber featuring Busta Rhymes. 10 out of the 13 performances were choreographed by students. The other three performances were choreographed by Professor of Dance and Dance Education Sarah McCormick and UT Martin alumni Carmen Norfleet.
The performances had special lighting for each song that was programmed by student lighting designers from the Theatre 410, Lighting and Sound class. Each dance had tasteful colored lights that went along with the performances.
Carmen Norfleet was not the only guest artist to make an appearance at this year’s show. Hunter Burton, who is also a former student of UT Martin, performed in two dances this year.
Multiple styles of dance were shown throughout the evening such as hip-hop and ballet. Dancing to songs with different tones allowed the dancers to show their different personalities and show that dance doesnāt have to fall into just one genre of music.
The UT Martin Department of Visual and Theatre Arts were also accepting donations to send UT Martin dancers to the American College Dance Association conference. There, dancers from different states get to perform and compete as well as take master classes with a variety of professionals. Not only will students be able to take dance classes, but they can also take classes involving nutrition and healthy habits. This conference is a great opportunity for the young dancers to network and get involved in healthy competition. UT Martin dancers will be performing two of their works in the competition.
To help with the cost of the trip for the students, visit https://linktr.ee/UTMDance
