Showcasing their unique artistry and letting their creativity be expressed through their movements, the dancers of Spring Dance 2019 are preparing a show that will demonstrate how dance can truly speak to you as another language. 

Spring Dance 2019, held at Sonoma State University in Person Theater, showcases the many talented students. From the dancing to the lighting and sound, these students exemplify what hardwork and talent is. 

To put on a show on a large scale like this with many choreographers and performers, Director and Choreographer Kristen Daley said, “This concert is filled with work from renowned and critically acclaimed choreographers all with different ways of working and creating dance. Each dance piece is distinctly different in style and aesthetic sensibility.”

“What we together celebrate is the collaborative spirit of dance making and our students. So first and foremost the concert is about our students: shining on and off stage as performers, stage managers and production crew,” Daley said.  

The show consists of five choreographers, including Sonoma State’s very own Christine Cali and Daley, as well as three guest artists Larry Arrington, Monica Bill Barnes and Erin Landry. The newly created Sonoma State Alumni Dance Company will be making a feature performance for two of the shows as well. 

Sonoma State student Sonia Yamilex Mata, a Theatre Arts major with emphasis in Dance, will be dancing in the upcoming show. 

She has been performing since her high school years.

“I am in two pieces for this show, and I am super excited about both of them. One is choreographed by Erin Laundry and the other is choreographed by Kristen Daley,” Mata said. “I feel so powerful dancing in each piece and the energy I feel while on stage is indescribable.”  

As a senior, this will be Mata’s last show here at Sonoma State. 

“Most of my favorite memories are from rehearsals. My friends Brandon Leong, Alexandra Giovanetti and Jay Haralson have always found a way to lift my spirits whenever we’re in rehearsal together,” Mata said. “They have made the experience so much fun for me and it’s been bittersweet because this is my last dance show here but I am honestly so excited for everyone to see it.”

Audience members will be able to watch about five to six dances performed throughout the show, with styles ranging from all different genres.

 Each piece is unique and evokes an array of different feelings and emotions. 

One of the pieces, titled “Pressure/Shift,” is choreographed by Director Daley and her dancers. 

“The dance investigates a relentlessness needed to move through the pressures we or society places upon ourselves, and then shifting those expectations or those narratives,” Daley said.

Sonoma State sophomore Rose Hattar helps with the lighting design for the dance show. Specifically, she creates all the lighting for “Pressure/Shift”. 

This will be Hattar’s first time designing lights for a Sonoma State performance but probably not her last since she is a Theatre Arts major. 

“I am most excited to see the dances brought to life on stage with the help of costumes and lighting,” Hattar said. “The stories being portrayed in these pieces truly create an evocative experience for those watching.”  

Spring Dance 2019 will be showing from April 18 to April 27.