X-Cell performed in Thompson on Thursday
night during their COLLAB spring showcase.
MADISON DUDLEY / THE DEPAUW
DePauw University excellence was on display Thursday night at the X-Cell spring showcase was performed in standing room only Thompson Hall.
X-Cell is a dance performance group that is composed of 23 DePauw students, and one TA, that perform regularly around campus. On Thursday night, X-Cell performed its end of the year showcase "COLLAB."
Members of the group participated in nine out of the 22 performances. Members showcased their specialties, be it meringue or hip-hop, and specific talents were allowed to shine. "COLLAB," who's motto is “X-Cellence Through The Arts,” had more of a collaborative line up of performances than in years past.
Exalt! Gospel Choir started off the showcase with several lively gospel renditions. Five of DePauw’s multicultural fraternities and sororities also participated, each performing a stroll (choreographed walk) for the packed Thompson crowd, showing their pride for their house and letters.
Several students gave individual performances. First-year Greisy Genao, a self-proclaimed, “love poet” performed one of her original works. Sophomore Jerald Parks and first-year Jarius Pierre-Toussaint gave original raps. DePauw’s all female accapella group, The Keynotes, performed a song in preparation for their end-of-the-year concert.
There were even moments of audience participation. Sophomore Onyi Awani sang a cover of “Legend” by Drake and had the audience sing along. During the 20 minute intermission, X-Cell members went up on stage and invited the audience to come forward and learn how to do the Nae-Nae and other dances.
“I really liked that they had members of X-Cell dance and then they would split it up with members of the Greek organizations, and then the spoken word poet and the rapping,” first-year Marissa Higgs said. “It was just a bunch of stuff all incorporated, not split up one after another; I thought it was really cool.”
Most of the dance performers had been practicing for "COLLAB" since the beginning February, working to get it right. The last few weeks before the spring showcase performers were practicing tirelessly for hours, working to get everything perfectly completeted for their final performance.
Sophomore Onyi Awani sings Legend by Drake on Thursday night.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
This showcase was special to X-Cell more so than in previous years as it was the last performance with senior Kandyce Anderson. Anderson is an education major and a history minor who will be going to the Indiana University Kelley School of Business for graduate school in the fall. Anderson has been with X-Cell since the fall semester of her freshman year and has served as a mentor for many of the younger members.
During the last all X-Cell performance during Thursday night’s show, Anderson fell and rolled her knee and was helped off stage. Anderson was able to come back for the last dance of the show in a contemporary collaboration with friend and mentee, sophomore Ranyerlis Galvez. This powerful and emotional performance ended in tears from both the dancers and the audience as Anderson was presented a bouquet of flowers as friends read off a list of her accomplishments from her four years at DePauw.
“I really enjoy when so many people are performing this expressive art of dancing,” said Junior Angela Guo, who did a dance with friends during the showcase. “It is just very empowering.”
"COLLAB" really showed in a lot of ways the best things about DePauw, our talent, community and appreciation for one and other.