“Just Dance” showcases diverse dance genres

This past Friday, Jaywalk and JOSH — two student dance groups on campus — held Just Dance, a dance showcase that featured guest performances by Irish Dancers, SLAM and the Eclectics. This showcase brought together numerous members of the Hopkins community, parents of performers and members of the surrounding community for a night of lively music and beautiful artistic expression in Shriver Hall.

Jaywalk and JOSH are both female dance troupes, each with genre specializations. Jaywalk focuses on jazz, lyrical and contemporary dance, whereas JOSH draws on different styles of Indian dance with a slight modern twist.

Both groups are entirely run and choreographed by students. As a result, the passion these students demonstrated for their artistic showcase was clearly visible. Both groups demonstrated a high level of technical skill, as well as an evident passion for the show they had spent so long putting together. This clearly resonated very well with the audience, which was lively and highly encouraging from start to finish.

The showcase brought a lot of support from fans that knew a few performers, but by the end, fans had developed a greater knowledge and appreciation for the diverse dance groups on campus.

“I loved the vibe from JOSH. They were so energetic. Jaywalk was gorgeous, as usual,” Annaka Stoeckel, an audience member, said.

There were several particularly memorable moments of this showcase. A few that stood out included the performance of Coldplay’s “Yellow,” choreographed by Jaywalk, JOSH’s Doctor Who performance and the performances by the guest troupes.

This sheer diversity of the performances made the event truly special, as it appealed to everyone, showcasing both a few highly popular genres as well as introducing audience members to new genres. These acts highlighted the innovative nature of dance, combining a multitude of classic genres with newer musical and artistic styles.

The consensus across the board was a positive one, and this show provided a great kickoff to the weekend for Hopkins students, drawing on the artistic talents of students.

“Well, we spent a ton of time working on the dances. We wanted to put on a show that everyone would really enjoy, and those last few weeks kicked things into high gear. In the end, all of us could not have been happier — it went fantastically, and the hard work paid off. I’m excited to get the videos and watch the show myself,” Victoria Gramuglia, a Jaywalk dancer, said.

Sometimes at Hopkins, students’ diverse talents may become overshadowed, especially given the University’s reputation of rigorous academics. However, this Just Dance show served as a post-spring break reminder of all the other activities in which students are involved on campus that extend beyond the classroom.

While watching the show or performing in it, the academic rigors of Hopkins were momentarily forgotten, and students, faculty and the larger community were able to come together to celebrate endeavors that extend beyond what Hopkins is typically known for.

“Seeing the dance showcase really fostered a greater appreciation of the breadth of skill JHU has to offer,” freshman Kelly McBride said.

There are several on campus dance performances coming up in the next few weeks, so if you missed out on Jaywalk’s recent performance, be sure to catch another.

There will be a modern dance performance on Friday and a Ladybirds performance on Saturday, both in Shriver Hall.

For those of us who would like to watch more traditional dance, check out a ballet dance concert on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Shriver.

Finally, there is a Bboys break dance, Irish dance and tap performance Sunday in Shriver at 7 p.m. For dance enthusiasts, it’s an exciting weekend!