On Friday, Ballet Performance Group (BPG) began its show “Alive” in Strong Auditorium with a contemporary piece called “Movement,” followed by an introduction from the group’s president, junior Hailey Palleschi.
Slightly out-of-breath from dancing, Palleschi gave the audience an idea of what the group was about. She also introduced Dare To Dance, an outreach program that works with third and fourth graders from Francis Parker School 23. Students from the program performed a very cute piece called “What Is Love” after intermission.
Following Palleschi’s introduction, BPG returned to their 1996 roots and performed a classical ballet choreographed by instructor Pamela Wilkens-White. The ballet included three pieces titled “Catalane,” “Castillane,” and “La Navarraise.” The classical ballet featured music composed by Jules Massenet for the opera “Le Cid.”
During intermission, a slideshow had photos of the dancers as children, all dressed up for what was likely their very first dance recital.
There were many fantastic performances throughout the show. Crowd favorites included “Galaxy,” an intense blend of contemporary dance and gymnastics, and “Master of Tides,” a dramatic tale of a band of pirates overtaking their own captain. Other noteworthy numbers were “Black & Gold” and the tap number “Do Something Crazy.”
In addition to the group pieces, there were a few solo and duet performances. All the soloists choreographed their own pieces, adding a personal touch to the already beautiful dancing.
Solos included first-year Emily O’Brien’s “Even If It’s a Lie,” senior Alana McGovern’s “Cringe,” and senior Rebecca Lawrence’s “Gone.” Duets of the night included sophomore Lia Nelson and junior Zoe Irving’s “Copycat” and sophomore Emily Corbett-Valade and first-year Milla Turner’s “Lost.”
The final speech of the night was given by the group’s vice president, grad student Jessica Robbins. Robbins explained that the seniors, as well as the group as a whole, came from diverse dancing backgrounds. While some have been dancing quite a while, others were novices.
The seniors then performed their “Senior Dance,” choreographed by Alana McGovern, Eleanor Esbrook, Emily Martell, Payal Morari and Rebecca Lawrence, who also participated in the performance.
The night’s finale was to the iconic and nostalgic song “Play My Music” by the Jonas Brothers, giving the audience a wholesome ending.
As a whole, the audience was impressed by BPG’s lively performance. The performers successfully made their show come “Alive.”
