Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Roxanne Rosenberg was 3 years old when she began to dance, and the art form has impacted her life ever since. The Syracuse University senior and executive producer of DanceWorks performed for the last time with the club as they wrapped filming for their virtual spring showcase.

It was difficult for DanceWorks — the largest student-run dance organization on campus — to have consistent plans this year because of COVID-19 restrictions. Some of the dance rehearsals were a struggle since not every dancer had the ability to practice in a studio due to a lack of studio space from the university, said Ruby Streett Apicella, an SU sophomore and DanceWorks outreach team member.

“This semester it has definitely been different, but we’ve worked and adapted and just molded to that so well because we did make it work and pulled it all off,” Streett Apicella said.

On Sunday evening, DanceWorks will premiere its show “DanceWorks Universe,” which finished filming in Goldstein Auditorium on April 17. Fans can watch the premiere when the club launches its new website starting Sunday night. The link will be made available on DanceWorks’ Instagram account.

Connor Muldoon, an SU junior and a junior co-producer of DanceWorks, said the program will include a total of 97 dancers across 14 dances in four separate categories: contemporary, hip-hop, jazz and tap. The website will showcase all 14 dance videos and each one will run for around 4-5 minutes.

One such dance will be performed by DanceWorks’ entire board, who will dance to a remix of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” as part of the performance. Muldoon also came up with this year’s theme, “DanceWorks Universe.”

“Calling it ‘DanceWorks Universe’ is just kind of trying to connect everybody given COVID and still be able to share our love of dance … even though we’re not physically together,” Muldoon said.

In previous years, DanceWorks has sold out their shows with an attendance of over 1,000 people, Streett Apicella said. Traditionally, parents and friends of dancers attend the show alongside some of the campus community, something that could not happen this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The show itself is the product of weeks of rehearsal on the part of the dancers and choreographers. SU granted DanceWorks in-person approval starting back in February and each dance has had a weekly rehearsal since then, Rosenberg said.

But the location of the rehearsals changed throughout the semester, making communication between everyone difficult at times. Some were in the Women’s Building studios, while others were in the Hall of Languages. SU also put mirrors on the basketball court at the Barnes Center at The Arch for rehearsals.

Samantha Meir, a freshman in DanceWorks, said although she missed the adrenaline from a live performance, there are a few perks to recording dances, including re-recording them until they are as perfect as they could be.

For many seniors in DanceWorks, filming the spring show was the last time they would be performing for the organization. Despite being upset it was her last performance with the club, Rosenberg said that filming was one of her favorite weeks of the semester.

“Being surrounded by people we’ve danced with for four years, it’s very much like a family atmosphere,” Rosenberg said. “A lot of seniors feel that way as well.”

Even as a freshman, Meir already feels a strong sense of unity from the club. She also wanted the premiere to be the best it can be, especially for the seniors.

“(Seniors) put this all together and built this organization,” Meir said. “We want them to get the recognition they deserve.”

Published on April 26, 2021 at 10:57 pm