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Thursday, February 10,2000- Page 8 FEATURES mic steps and the beautiful costumes, but the Cook's thoughts the night of the show covered quickly and don'tthink that anyone SraffWriler confidence and excitement the dancers out- were, "oh my goodness is this going to hap- noticed." Mike Lofton drove all the way from Vero wardly expressed and possessed. pen," and after they were "oh my gosh we Christine Johnson, a freshman com- Beach, Florida to. watch his daughter perform A related movie clip was projected onto did it." These feelings of accomplishment mented, "I am glad that my family came and in WMC's first dance production; he and the a screen on stage. This added to the antici- were well deserved I am happy that our performance is the first crowd were not the least bit disappointed. pation and excitement of each dance routine. Prior to Saturday night's performance two dance production. We were successful and Nothing but a dim beam of red lighting There was a balance between graceful and dancers commented on what they had been proved ourselves; all through the prcductlon filled the room at Alumni Hall main stage free Flowing dance steps with electrifying practicing and there expectations forthe per- it was sheer excitement." Saturday night, as the dance production and fast-paced ones. Dazzling and energetic formance. Two other dancers, sophomore Nia "Welcome to the Movies", made its debut. are just some of the many words that can be "We have been practicing since last No- Clements, and junior Alethea Desrosiers The performance, lasting two. hours, was used to describe the witty and keenly com- vember, said sophomore Nichole Christman, agreed that the production was a lot of work enthusiastically embraced by a crowd of ap- posed performance. "but we have been practicing consistently but it was worth every drop of sweat. proximately one hundred fifty, with ecstatic Joyous screams, cries and repeated everyday for the past four weeks for three to Other members of the WMC dance com- cheers and screams from start to finish as giggles was the audience's reaction to the six hours a day." pany include: Anna Royer, Jason Fitzgerald, enormous positive energy filled the air. The production. I found the audience's response She responded, "1 can't wait to perform; Matthew Gribbin, Kasenia Lantzky, Kelsey production was compelling, interpreting the wonderful and encouraging not only for the I think people are going to be amazed by Reichard, Stacey Roach, Shelley Sorensen, dress, style and ambience of the particular director and the participants in the produc- what we do," after being asked how she felt Stacey Starfeper, Jeremy Trammelle and time period in which a movie took place. tion, but also to those who might be inter- about the performance Saturday night. ChristinaWatier. Directed by junior Melanie Cook with ested in advocating programs on campus. A seco!!d dancer, sopbomor~~n,;my Asked how she got the idea for the pro- assistance in choreography from her sister When asked how he enjoyed the perfor- Keil, also commented on the practice and duction, director Cook replied, "I was try- Janet Cook, the end product of the perfor- mance Ryan Ewing, a WMC junior replied, upcoming production, "the experience has ing to design a major and realized that we mance was' phenomenally choreographed. "It was riveting. It is good to finally see been a lot of fun." Keil had never danced a did not have anything involved with dance The whole performance was captivating and dancers with such talent at work. I enjoyed choreographed show before and said, "it is and decided that I wanted to do a dance pro- overwhelmed with great energy and a pro- it very much." challenging and I am having difficulty with duction." fessional, but fun performance. "From a parent's perspective it was ex- the moves because they are different from Sophomore ·communication/th~atre ma- The dancers acted out graceful steps with cellent," said Mike Lofton who drove one swing and Latin dancing with which I am jor Maya Redfearn, who felt overjoyed, ex- bright smiles. The focus of the production thousand miles in eighteen hours to see his more familiar." pressed her sentiments about th'e, perfor- seemed more on having a good time than daughter, Amanda, perform. He expressed, When asked how he felt about perform- mance, .. having each step perfect. This strategy re- "the performance was worth every mile and ing, Keil responded, "I have never danced "I loved how everyone was sitting on the sulted in maintaining the interest of the au- hour." for an audience and do not know what to edge of their seats·in anticipation, knowing dience and little error during the perfor- A reaction like that would make any di- think." that what they were Witnessing was going rector happy. In fact director Cook was not Minutes after the performance Keil said, down in history as WMC's first dance pro- The costumes were vibrant in color and surprisingly speechless after the production "I feel pumped and really good about the per- duction," she said. exotic in style. However, what made the pro- was over, "words can't explain how I feel formance," and pointed out that although he Redfearn and others hope the dance pro- duction such a success was not just the rhyth- right now; I feel amazing." messed up in a step or two, "I can say I re- duction becomes a permanent par! ofWMC. "It's all about the music, man" Nasty Nor'easter Coffee House offers music, coffee, and low-key atmosphere LISA DALE: VAN AUKEN trcduceaherself Eby is the conductor of the SliiffWriler evening's musical motif, which has been "Welcome to professional show busi- going strong since December. "There's a real ness," snickers singer/songwriter Mike need for [this] in the community," she says Maloneyaftershoutingdireclionsacrossihe smil'ing." [In westminster] there's nothing room to the man at the sound board. Amid to do but bowl." the laughter of children, the rumble of mas- Eby, who wiH be playing later with For- culine voices coming from the back table, gi ven. a Christian Rock band, tells me that and the scraping of chairs on the tile floor, The Coffee Househas been a great place for Mike plays a few more Dotes and then pro- all kinds of people to come listen to music. nounces himself ready to rock. "It's not always Christian," she says. "Rut I came to the Salvation Army tonight not it's always clean and tasteful." knowing what to expect, but as one always As if on cue, Katrina wiggles. out from looking for something new to try, I though under my chair, where she has been practic- I'd give it a shot. I suppose the beatnik in ing her acrobatics, and sticks her tongue out me can't resist the temptation of a coffee at me. It's like she's trying to tell me "Ha. house. Besides, it was only two bucks to get ha. I'm allowed to be here too." I laugh. in, plus free coffee and good music. Eby, however, suddenly strikes a more So I came here, and I feel strangely com- serious note. She's sad because last week fortable. It's a low-tech, grass-roots, laid- some unknown vandal stole two speakers and back, commercial-less sanctuary that would an effects box from the Salvation Army. r make any garage musician proud to profess, am disgusted. Taking those speakers is like "It's all about the music, man." stealing from the offering plate. Gross. Luck- Erwood Smith (left) and Mike Devine, members of the WMC Grounds crew, take In fact, the atmosphere might be a little ily, New Song Guitar Center was good from removing snow in from of Daniel MacLea. Two storms ripped through too simple for some. There's not many enough to lend the Salvation Army the equip- the area covering WMC with between 15-20 inches of snow. The snow.forced classes people, and r have the vague suspicion that ment needed to carryon with the evening. to be cancelled on January 25 and 26. Classes were also delayed on January 31 due to many of those who are here are related to So, in case you're interested, The Coffee treacherous road conditions. one or more of the acts. Still, the people here House starts at 8:00 pm on Fridays at the are genuinely happy. Even little Katrina, who Salvation Army (across from Walmart) and has been making faces at me from under the is two beans. For auditions, call Diedra Eby Student Research and Creativity Grants for Spring, 2000 table for the last half-hour, is tapping her toes at 410-239-1587. Youth Night is the second in time to the tunes. Friday of the month, and will most likely be The deadline for applications for student research and creativity grants for Diedra Eby sits down next to me and in- moved to Saturdays later this month Spring, 2000 is February 29, 2000. To apply for an award, a student must have a WMC grade point average of 3.2 and obtain the direct involvement or close sponsorship of a faculty member. The SPRING BREAK 2000 awards are competitive. The grants are intended to encourage special projects that complement CANCUN*JAMAICA*NASSAU students' major academic emphases; they are not intended to cover the normal expenses of a course. The project mayor may not be connected with a particular Space is limited course. It may be a special studies outgrowth of a course. A grant may cover the cost of materials for such projects. It may cover travel expenses to libraries or special CALL TODAY!!! collections. These are merely examples; Dean Coley would like to see what kinds of creative proposals students may devise, in consultation with appropriate faculty. 800-293-1443 Grants may range from $25 to $500. Applications are available in Dean Coley's www.Studennfity.com office.