"An Evening of Dance” and An Influence on Performers

Dance can be powerful and influential.

Three Ball State University students in the production “An Evening of Dance” said that each of their performances were either powerful or influential.

Whether it allowed them to explore individuality or discover the hidden meaning behind their dances, being part of “An Evening of Dance” impacted the performers.

In the production, four dance pieces were presented. The first portrayed loss and the quick pace of life. The second focused on discovering oneself, while the third showed the struggle of accepting body appearance. And the fourth showcased racism in the 1960s. All of these pieces focused on topics that many struggle with today.

Eugenia Jones, a soloist in the final performance “I Can Turn the Sun Away,” said that the purpose of the piece is bringing awareness to an experience. The dance is about the story of Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton, the only African American student in her high school class in Little Rock, Arkansas in the early 60s.

“It is so easy as humans to forget things that happened in the past,” Jones said. “But honestly, past experiences are almost always relevant in the present. I realized that the story is still relevant, and people still experience aspects of it.”

Devin Hill, a dancer in the second performance “Stop Her Not,” says that the overall message of her dance is to break out of a comfort zone. The performance involved one dancer tied to a rope, restrained by a plan, while another performer danced freely, representing life’s unpredictability.

“Some people want to be on one specific journey in life and don’t want to venture out to see what life is made of,” Hill said. “It is important to have someone who cares for you and who wants the best for you to push you outside of your comfort zone so that you can discover more about yourself.”

The dances portrayed strong messages that the performers related to. Some performers, like Jones, connected to their dances in more ways than one.

“The most difficult part of the performance for me was taking the background of the story and showing that relevance through my movement,” Jones said. “Really finding myself in the story was something I had to work on through rehearsing and really letting the movement take over.”

Hill said that overall, dance allowed her to dive into her individuality, with this performance really helping her do just that.

“It’s allowed me to find my greatest assets and showcase them on stage,” Hill said. “It gives me a chance to inspire others and be inspired by my fellow dancers. It makes me feel complete and happy, which allows me to give that happiness and joy to others in my life.”

“An Evening of Dance” gave Ball State students the opportunity to grow and develop through the four influential pieces.

“Dance has given me the opportunity to find and lose myself,” Jones said. “Looking back on when I first started, I had trouble finding an outlet for my emotions and feelings. Now I think that through dance I am able to use my emotions and feelings through movement.”