A group of UCSD ballet dancers will be performing at a free cabaret show at 8 p.m. on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9 in Studio 3 of the Wagner Dance Building. Directed by UCSD students Leigh Schanfein and Kathryn Dickason, the cabaret performance will feature various ballet selections, ranging from elegant classical works to exhilarating techno-ballet.
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According to Schanfein, who is a sophomore at Earl Warren College, the program will consist of six dances, with a group of eight girls performing.
There will be classical repertoire from "Le Corsaire," where three girls will first dance together, then on separate variations, with a coda following. The techno-ballet dance will be performed to Mauro Picotto’s "Omodo."
The program will also feature variations of other famous ballets, such as "The Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker." Jamie Franz, a Thurgood Marshall College junior, will be performing a solo dance, "the Sugarrum Cherry," which is a variation of "The Sugarplum Fairy."
One noteworthy aspect of the cabaret show is the choreography. Schanfein and Dickason choreographed a majority of the dances themselves and taught them to the other dancers. Among others, Schanfein choreographed the techno-ballet dance and Dickason choreographed "The Sugarrum Cherry" variation.
"Cathryn and I like to choreograph, so we wanted some outlet because otherwise, [dances] just stay in your head and you never really get to fully explore what you’ve been thinking about for so long," Schanfein said.
Although the group has only had four rehearsals, they seem to be enthusiastic and excited about the upcoming performance.
"You get a real rush out of performing," said Lynn Evans, a fifth-year graduate student who is studying in the Neuroscience Program at the UCSD medical school. "Even though the rehearsals can be difficult and exhausting, it’s still worth it when you get that high after performing."
Evans said that she thinks this production has a lot to offer.
"Leigh’s a great choreographer, and there are a lot of good ballerinas," Evans said.
Schanfein and Dickason organized the cabaret in an effort to allow dancers to perform this quarter. They posted fliers a few weeks ago, inviting dancers to participate in the performance.
"In the fall quarter, there aren’t any performing opportunities for dancers here at school, so we wanted to do something during fall quarter just to perform," Schanfein said.
