Culture & Community | Dance | Arts & Culture | Youth Arts Journalism Initiative | C.R. & Co.
Amber Boutellier Photo.
As Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” floated over the stage, six dancers moved into formation, letting the jitters of the evening remain in the wings. In sync with each other, they straightened their spines, as if there was an invisible current running from their heads to their pointed toes. They rounded, then raised their arms. They stepped into first position, and every eye in the room was on them.
Dancers brought that talent, honed over weeks of practice, to the LAB at ConnCORP on a recent Wednesday, as students from C.R. & Co. showed off their skills in “Sunshine Meets Spotlight,” a showcase based on their work at a summer camp at Bethel A.M.E. Church on Goffee Street. For close to an hour, dancers kept members of the audience on the edge of their seats, with a display of knowledge that doubled as a show of support for each other.
“Going on stage I felt very nervous,” said Morgan McKoy, a rising freshman at Notre Dame High School. “But as soon as I stepped in front of the audience and seen how many people came to see me dance and support me, all the nerves just went away,”
“I thought the showcase was amazing,” said C.R. & Co. founder and director Chelsea Little-Hughes. “We received so much positive feedback from parents about this being our best summer showcase yet. I’m most proud of my rising seniors Tiyana Edward’s and Caidence Nonossi for their vision for the show. They put it together entirely. And their hard work shined throughout.”
Throughout the night, that love from the audience—and from dancers who cheered each other on—flowed through each performance. When, to the sound of Beyoncé's “My Power,” the eldest dancers took the stage, their confidence and grace filled the room. As they marched out onto the stage, they raised their arms high and pushed them out and around in the air, stomping their feet together to a heavy drum.
Their high energy style had everyone moving in their seats. That was especially true halfway through, when some dancers stepped off stage, leaving five of their peers to pull off a jump in unison. They naild it, all tucking their legs up with their knees wide and arms stretched straight out to the sides in a “T,” like they were floating for a second.
“These girls are amazing and just watching them dance on stage makes me want to get up on the stage with them and try to dance with them, even knowing I don’t have their skills,” said one audience member who asked to remain anonymous. Every turn, leap, and fan kick made them look graceful and put together, as the group moved in sync majestically.
The goal was “to have fun moving in motion because that’s exactly what she is doing is having a great time,” McKoy had said, and the words echoed long after dancers left the stage.
In another number, three older dancers performed a tap routine to “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa that was so catchy it was hard not to dance along to. Their hips moved with the beat while their feet created sharp but rhythmic taps that matched the cadence of the song perfectly. Halfway into the performance, the dancers completed three clean and controlled pirouettes without falling out of a single one. They moved their arms side to side in perfect sync and completed a perfect high kick, matching each other's height.
As the performance came to an end, they finished by crossing their arms above their heads, stretching them out in the air to the ceiling, and ending with them by their side. They walked confidently off stage as the audience cheered excitedly. It seemed unfathomable that they had only had a few short weeks to prepare.
Across the dances, students’ technique was perfect (even young students remembered to keep their toes pointed, legs completely straight and controlled). From regimented ballet to precise tap, elegant jazz, energetic hiphop, and powerful African dance, they told a story through each number, transporting members of the audience along the way.
Nowhere was that clearer than in the recital’s finale, set to “Work It” by Missy Elliott and featuring 50 Cent. The finale opened with two older dancers leaning in and out, as if they were answering an old-school land line. Thumb and pinky finger to their ears, they moved along to the words “pick up the phone,” swinging their arms and clapping as they got into full formation.
Dancers filled the stage, with younger dancers up in the front and older ones behind them in the back row. Before the main beat of the song came on, they were hyping each other up, doing some freestyling of their own moves.
On the cue “let me work it,” the entire group of 35 dancers moved together, driving one knee up while pushing both hands towards the floor. Together, they repeated that same move twice. They jumped into a turn, whipped their arms overhead, and then repeated that same move to the other side. Their feet slid across the stage smoothly. Nearing the end of the song, four young dancers did moves of their own, dropping into front splits while everyone hit that final beat together.
Every single attendee was completely locked in on the performance, clapping along to the beat and cheering on all of the dancers on stage. The energy in the room was so powerful. The audience shouting and cheering with every jump, turn, and even split until the very last beat of the song ended.
As the music faded and came to an end, all the dancers lined up across the stage to take a final bow together, the happiness glowed on each face. The whole room filled with loud clapping and cheering., Little-Hughes stepped forward and took the microphone, thanking everyone for coming to support.
“The finale was my favorite part of the showcase because it shows what we accomplished,” said Shyina Langley, a rising eighth grader at Hamden Middle School. “That we got through it together and it was worth every minute we practiced. Especially when the audience clapped and whistled and we felt so proud.”
Ten year old Phaedra Farriu, who especially loves African cultural dance, radiated excitement after the showcase. “It was so much fun. I can’t wait until next year,” she said.
This article comes from the ninth and current cohort of the Arts Council's Youth Arts Journalism Initiative (YAJI). From June 29 through August 21, YAJI students pitch, report, write and edit stories with Arts Paper Editor Lucy Gellman, Program Assistants Abiba Biao and Grayce Howe and Mentor Ruby Szekeres. Amber Bouteiller is a rising junior at West Haven High School.