A supportive, interconnected student-led community spent hours, weekends and late nights assembling a performance bursting with talent, passion and a heart for connecting movement to a riveting message, student dancers said.
Dance in Flight (DIF) held its annual performance last week March 14-16, in Smothers Theatre. The performance captured the theme of “Wonder” with 23 routines in a variety of styles, senior Assistant Student Director Simone Chaddha said.
Pepperdine’s student-led dance company Dance in Flight first began in 1993, according to the Pepperdine DIF website. The company creates an annual show capturing a cohesive narrative through dance.
Chaddha said she and senior Student Director Taylor Faas came up with the theme “Wonder.”
“‘Wonder’ is inspired by Alice in Wonderland in the sense that, throughout the show, we tumble into Wonderland and take a stab at existential questions channeled into dancing,” Chaddha said. “That acts as our wonderland — moving through our own minds, personal thoughts and personal imaginations.”
Rehearsals
For tech week starting Sunday the week of the show, junior dancer and choreographer Madison Enos said the company rehearsed each night before the show for six hours — running through each routine over and over again in Smothers Theatre. This way, the dancers could also work with the lighting designers to plan how they want the visuals of the show to look.
“Everyone’s in it together,” first-year dancer Caroline Rainey said. “You really bond over how tired everyone is but also how supportive we all are of each other.”
Leading up to the tech week and show, the company gathered every Saturday following auditions in September. Chaddha said each practice was filled with lots of laughter and supportive, encouraging energy.
The rehearsals each Saturday were long but fun, Rainey said. Each rehearsal provided the space to run through each show while also allowing everyone to connect with each other and dance together.
“It blows my mind how perfect of a balance we have when it comes to being productive and making a lot of progress in the pieces while having a great time with each other,” Chaddha said.
Notable Routines
The show closed with a routine entitled “… if the memories will last forever?” to the song “Supercut” by Lorde.
This show in particular celebrated the 30th anniversary of DIF, and the closing routine captured the tribute to the anniversary well, Chaddha said.
“The show has a little something for everyone,” Rainey said.
Chaddha said she has two favorite routines. Because the piece was fun and upbeat, she said her first favorite was the hip-hop routine titled “…what it would be like if your favorite person was you?” which sophomore Jaycee Cox choreographed. Dancing to a mix of six songs, including “Barbie World” by Niki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua and “I’m Really Hot” by Missy Elliott, the piece embodied the power in the acceptance of self-love.
Chaddha said her second favorite routine is the song “Bird Set Free” by Sia. The piece was a contemporary style entitled “…what it would be like not to be in your own head?” which Maya Riley choreographed. The piece captured the power to break free from the voices inside one’s head, which can become a roadblock.
“The choreography for that piece is so amazing and so riveting to perform,” Chaddha said.
Leadership and Experience
Chaddha said her role was to assist the student director Taylor Faas and brainstorm the theme with Faas back in June. Once the 2023-24 academic year began, she said, together, they facilitated choreographer auditions, then company auditions, advised by Producer Katie Price and Director Mya Kough.
Enos said the aspect of DIF being student-led encouraged her to join her first year.
As a leader, Chaddha said she appreciated she was not only able to grow personally but also be part of the growth of the team. It was a great chance to get to know every member of the team and bring every personality out through dance.
Dancers rehearse the DIF annual performance “Wonder” in Smothers Theatre on March 13, which includes two acts. The second act opened with a contemporary piece titled “…what it would be like to not be in your own head?”
Additionally, Chaddha said she was grateful to be able to create that positive, supportive environment.
“It’s all about the people and how we love and support each other that makes the show so special,” Enos said.
Rainey had been dancing for 10 years before joining DIF, she said. Because of all the work she had dedicated to dance and the great deal of passion she still had for dance, it was not something she was willing to let go of.
“Dance in Flight is the perfect solution because it’s not too much of a commitment, but you still get to dance, and it has a really high payoff during show week,” Rainey said.
Chaddha said she began dancing at the age of 7 because she wanted to be like her older sister, who was also a competitive dancer.
Now, as a senior in college, Chaddha said this DIF show in particular means so much to her.
“Easily, 110%, DIF has been the highlight of my experience at Pepperdine — from being able to dance to spending each Saturday with such amazing people,” Chaddha said.
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Contact Samantha Wareing via email: samantha.wareing@pepperdine.edu or by Instagram: @samanthawareing
