Delta dance department performs in Danner Hall

BY CORINNE NESMITH Staff Writer

On April 13 the Delta dance department held an event in Danner Hall.

Two different performers, Associate Adjunct Dance Professor Philip Agyapong and third-year student Chelli Nunuz, did two dances each, then the event finished with a group dance. There was frequent audience participation, giving it a relaxed and playful feel.

The first dance was described by Agyapong as “a afro-pop dance, which normally has some similarity to hip hop with the intent, mostly movements that reflect the statement of modernized youth and what they want to say to authorities about political issues and a statement they want to tell to people.”

The second dance, performed by Nunuz, was a fluid dance done with flags to celebrate “moments of joy, harmony, expressing one’s inner feeling of joy through movements,” according to Agyapong. She danced barefoot, her hair up in braids, and in flowing white clothing, creating an angelic effect.

The third, by Agyapong, was an evocative African war dance, something that was created “as a way to remember the challenges they had through war and [their] conqueror spirit and how they led into their present being.”

It was intense and emotional, with calls being made back and forth from the performer to the audience.

The fourth, by Nunuz, was “an expression of self and who she is, and what she wants to share with everybody in the space and what she wants people to get about her.” It had clear music and clear, precise movements. There was a sense of serenity and strength from her motions.

For the last performance, the audience was invited to come to the front and participate themselves. The group did a social dance, created to bring people together which stands for community and connection. It included a freestyle for every dancer to bring something of their own to the experience. The event ended with people hugging, laughing and exchanging compliments.

Classes Dance 5D, Dance 5C, Dance 5B, Dance 5A, Dance 3 and Dance 4 taught by Agyapong are available in the upcoming Fall semester on TBA date and times.