Curtains opened, slow music of “Bring on the men” by Jekyl and Hyde started, dancers came on the stage in their seductive black and red costumes and the Hood College Dance Ensemble began their show.

The Spring Dance Concert by the Hood College Dance Ensemble took place on March 13th and 14th.  Hodson Auditorium was crowded by people and all of them came to support their daughters, sisters, girlfriends and friends.

The concert included 15 pieces choreographed by students, their professor and guest dancers. Dancers choreographed their numbers with different genre of music.

Two choreographies were a fresh and modern part of the concert. They were done with dubstep beats. Dubstep became a new ‘must’ listen music among youth today.

Carlie Colella, a senior, choreographed a dance with Skrillex’s song “Monsters and Sprites.” The music and the dance were completely different from pieces that have been performed at previous concerts. The use of dubstep was highly unexpected for the audience, yet it had definitely a positive effect.

The audience could enjoy variety of dances, from solos to group dances, from jazz to modern and ballet. Seniors were able to have a solo and all of them choreographed it by themselves.

“We have been preparing for this concert since we started this semester, from the end of January,” Francine Marsili, dance professor and artistic director of Hood College Dance Ensemble, said.

Marsili has been a dance professor at Hood College since 1995. She started as a guest performer and a choreographer in 1982. Today she is teaching couple of dance classes at Hood and leading the dance ensemble.

The ensemble has two dance captains. Stephanie Weaver, junior, and Alickka Edwards, senior, are leaders who make sure that girls work as a team.

Weaver is majoring in Elementary and Special Education and like other friends on the dance ensemble finds time to do what she truly loves. She has been dancing since she was 4 years old. “I started dancing when I was four at the dance studio. My mom put me in and I stuck with it,” Weaver said.

Edwards is majoring in biology and loves dancing. She has been dancing for 12 years, including three years at Hood. Her favorite dancing style is modern and she likes to choreograph dances by herself. For this year’s concert and her solo she picked Mary J Blidge’s song “Down.”

Being the dance captain includes some duties, too. “Among the duties of being the captain are helping the professor, making sure everyone is coming in on time and supporting the dancers,” she said.

Fall and spring semester dance concerts are the perfect chance for not only dancers at Hood to come together, but also dancers from different dance companies. Souls of The Feet Dance Company was invited to take a part at the concert twice. They came over to Hood from Pennsylvania and decided to come back again. Dancers from this company prepared two numbers for this year.

Marsili said, “I usually invite different guest performers. I got to know lot of dancers and companies from my past dance history, so I just invite them. This year they came from Pennsylvania.”

Except the guests from Pennsylvania, the audience could enjoy the performance of Miss Maryland, Carlie Collela. Collela is a Hood College student who is graduating this year. For her solo dance piece she decided to dance the same choreography which she performed at the Miss America contest during the talent show. Collela has been dancing since she was a toddler. She joined the Hood College Dance Ensemble in her junior year of college.

“My favorite piece for this spring concert is actually my solo piece. It will be accompanied with Lady Gaga’s song “On the Edge,” Collela said.

It is spring and many dancers will leave Hood College. Carlie Collela, Alickka Edwards, Samantha Gertner, Lauren Miller and Amber Queen-Harris will find the way to do what they love somewhere else. Most of them said that they will continue dancing after college.

“Of course, I will,” Weaver said. Edwards said although she is graduating and will not have time and money to pay the expensive dancing classes she will get the help from her mom. “My mom said she will pay for my dance classes after I graduate,” she said.

“The ensemble will be happy to accept new dancers,” Weaver said. There is an audition every year in August. Men are welcome to join, although Hood Dance Ensemble has never had a male student dancing with them.

“The auditions include a dance choreographed by our professor. She will teach us the dance and watch us run through it. It is really an open environment, no one pressures anyone. Everyone is learning and we are all growing,” Weaver said.

Dancers in black came on the stage while dancing with the sound of storm and the screen was projecting pictures of a thunder storm. Dancers in pink joined them on the stage while dancing with happier music sounds and the screen was projecting pictures of sun and clouds. Finally dancers in white costumes joined and the music changed into beautiful joyful music and the screen was projecting pictures of a beautiful sunny day.

That was the closing piece called “Choices” choreographed by professor Marsilli. The audience could read a quote which was next to name of this piece on the flier and it said, “Sometimes bad choices haunt us. We yearn for happier innocent times. But in the end, hope brings healing.”

“The season piece was the special piece for me this year. As a senior I will miss the ensemble,” senior Amber Quinn said.

The concert was closed with sad and happy faces. After she hugged her seniors, professor Marsilli said, “I will save the tears for tomorrow’s concert.