Orchesis event is a dance showcase

More than 60 students, from dancers to technical crew, are working together to bring the Orchesis Fall Show to the stage of Bartlett Theatre at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

More than 60 students at the State University of New York at Fredonia will come together to bring a dance showcase to the stage this October.

The Orchesis Fall Showcase continues today and Sunday in the Alice E. Bartlett Theatre of Rockefeller Arts Center on the Fredonia campus. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Saturday with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.

Riley Stanton, president of the Orchesis E-board, said variety will be at the heart of the Fall Showcase.

“Our showcase has a variety of styles this semester,” Stanton said. “There’s a little bit of everything in the 16 pieces we’re performing. We have tap, jazz, contemporary and more.”

Founded in 1967, Orchesis is a student-run dance company at Fredonia that puts on major concerts year which are choreographed and performed by Fredonia students. Orchesis also sponsors guest artists, workshops, master classes and charity events throughout the school year.

“Our showcases take a lot of time, effort and care from everyone involved,” Stanton said. “Our dancers rehearse weekly from the start of the semester up until showtime. As the E-board, we start preparing for each show months in advance; sometimes we even plan a whole semester in advance. The week before the showcase is about 12 hours of preparation by itself.”

It takes dozens of people to bring the production to the stage.

“From our dancers to our tech hands, there are more than 60 people involved in our showcase,” Stanton said. “Everyone involved is a student here at SUNY Fredonia.” 

Stanton said Orchesis hopes audiences come away with the understanding that Dance is for everyone.

“As a club, it is our main goal to provide a safe and open space for anyone to create, dance, build community and just have fun,” she said. “Our showcases demonstrate just this; we’re a family and we always have our doors open for more people who share our passion.” 

Tickets for the Orchesis Fall Showcase are available online 24/7 at https://www.fredonia.edu/about/ticket-office. Tickets may also be purchased on Monday, Wednesday or Friday by phone at 716-673-3501 or in person at the Campus Ticket Office in the Williams Center during the same hours.