Lisa Wei '26
Nov 3, 2023
On Saturday, November 4, Mercersburg will hold its annual Fall Dance Concert in the Simon Theatre in the Burgin Center for the Arts. “The dance concert will start at 7:30 p.m. There will be an open dress rehearsal the night before, also at 7:30 p.m.,” said Kelsey Rupp, Director of Dance.
This year’s Fall Dance Concert will showcase many different styles of dance, choreographed by many talented people of our community. “There’s a lot of contemporary and ballet, and some hip-hop,” Sophie Mielke ‘25 said. “It features work by myself, other faculty members, and students,” said Rupp. “We have a new choreographer, so there are going to be more contemporary pieces, which is really exciting,” Anouk Wandeler ‘26 said.
Three student choreographers are showcasing their work at this year’s Fall Dance Concert. “Elizabeth Orders ‘25 is doing a contemporary jazz solo, Cricket Tatone ‘24 is doing a contemporary solo, and Stella Johnson ‘25 is doing a ballet solo,” said Rupp. “I think that I put in a lot of work into my solo,” Orders said.
The dancers are excited about the pieces being showcased on Saturday. “I think that the dance, ‘Circus’, came out really well,” said Maggie Coors ‘26. “I really enjoyed the contemporary piece, ‘Elation’ because I really liked the song and the teacher choreographer did really well,” Judy Ma ‘27 said. “Both the tap pieces turned out really great,” said Johnson.
Mercersburg Academy’s dancers expect to brighten up the community with the Fall Dance Concert. “I really like how the Fall Dance Concert could help refresh people before the fall exams, and give everyone hope,” said Taeoon Moon ‘25. In the same way, the community could also invigorate the dancers during performances. “It’s like the best feeling you get when you are on stage, especially when other people are watching and appreciating the performance,” Ma said. “I love the reaction and energy we get from the audience and how it hypes us up,” said Mielke.
The final piece of the evening is a medley of four Jimmy Buffet songs. “[It] is to celebrate the music and life of Jimmy Buffet,” said Rupp. “I liked the finale piece the most because that’s where everyone is involved. It’s also a collection of special songs,” Moon said.
As the dancers get ready for the upcoming performance, many memories which will be cherished are forming. “My favorite part of the Fall Dance Concert is probably the costumes,” Coors said while laughing with her fellow dancers. “I really like how it’s like one big family, especially when we are warming up together,” Orders said.