By Lily Roberti ’24

Wyoming Seminary’s Dance Company finally brought the show of the year, “Dance Creations,” to life on the stage of the Kirby Center for Creative Arts. With pirouettes, tour jetés, and smiling faces, the second weekend in May revealed the hard work they’ve been putting in all year long. Sem’s forty-second annual dance show was a huge success, bringing boarders, day students, and parents together to celebrate dance.

With a significantly smaller dance company than last year, Sem Dance Company had very large shoes to fill. Twenty-nine dancers made up the company this year. This included four lower-school students, one alumnus (Robert Zaloga ‘20), and six other male dancers who volunteered their time to accompany us. Que Riggins ‘24, one of those generous male dancers, says, “Dance has given me the opportunity to see the arts from a different point of view. I’m able to be an onstage performer rather than just being behind the scenes.” The show was also graced by two faculty dancers, Brennan Twardowski and Charles Carrick.

Sem’s dancers had been preparing for this show since before winter break. They rehearsed through months of difficult choreography, juggling other extracurriculars and schoolwork, and multiple injuries within the company. It all turned out to be worth it, as the exhilaration of being on stage and showcasing their talent brought many spectators. Lauren Urosevich ‘23 says, “The show this year is our first show that is 100% back to normal since 2019, which is super exciting! The dance company has been working very hard to bring this show to the stage for everyone to enjoy. This time of the year is super exciting for the dance company as a whole, but as a senior it is very bittersweet.”

This year, six students were chosen for the honor of choreographing their own piece for the show. Seniors Lauren Urosevich, Holly Egbert, Sasha Roumyantseva, Allison Luo, and juniors Lucy Lew and Molly Kopetchny were the lucky group. From beautiful, flowing lyrical pieces to loud, sassy jazz, these student choreographers brought great variety and talent to the stage. Holly Egbert, a dedicated member of the dance company for four years, shares, “Getting the opportunity to choreograph my own piece for this year’s dance show has been an amazing experience. I was able to work with so many talented dancers to craft a dance that we all loved.”

Of course, the dance show could not have been possible without Bernadine Vojkto and Brennan Twardowski. Mrs. Vojkto’s commitment has been crucial in the formation of this wonderful performance, and Ms. T’s assistance and creativity helped get the show up and running. This year, Ms. T took it a step further and became a choreographer, creating an upbeat and fun piece called “She Can Dance.” Mrs. Vojtko’s experience helped set up most of the choreography that hit the stage, including a  jazzy theater piece, “Too Darn Hot,” and the finale of the show: a series of Western-inspired dances concluding with the entire company onstage for “Hoedown.” Raphael Cooper was the final talented pro involved in choreographing, putting together a bold tap sequence to “Fireball.” With the collaboration of these phenomenal professionals and the dedicated dancers, Sem’s 2023 Dance Show was a huge success!