Now Playing: Arts Mosaic
The Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance and the School of the Arts celebrates the diversity of the arts on the Dean College campus with Arts Mosaic, featuring select student works integrating dance, theatre, music, film and much more.
We spoke to Mariah Sheirer ’23, a double major in Dance and Arts and Entertainment Management, Anaia Cayode ’23, a Dance major and Psychology minor, Hannah Ranco ’22, a Dance BFA major, and Zion Hall ’23, a Theatre major with a concentration in Musical Theatre, to learn more about the show.
Q: What is your role? Tell us a little about what your role has involved and how you've been preparing for the show.
Mariah: “I am both a performer and choreographer in this year’s Arts Mosaic! I am co-choreographing a piece with Sydney Arentsen ’22 and we have been working very hard on this piece since we returned to campus in September! I am also performing in my friend Mackenzie’s piece for Tap team. I have been preparing for both of these pieces since early September and it’s been long rehearsals and lots of time!”
Anaia: “For this year's Arts Mosaic, I have two critical roles: choreographer and performer. As a choreographer, I decided to make a piece that reflected my personal beliefs about how humans connect. Once a week, I have an hour-long rehearsal with my dancers, where we work on choreography. As a performer, I am in two other pieces. We rehearse weekly and spend a lot of time perfecting our movements and ensuring we are in sync.”
Hannah: “I am a choreographer for the show as well as a dancer with The Collective (the contemporary dance team on campus). Preparing for the show has included a lot of rehearsals!”
Zion: “I am going to be performing the solo piece ‘Make Them Hear You,’ from Ragtime the Musical, accompanied by the talented David Livingston ’22. In preparation for this show, David and I have met and rehearsed numerous times to go over the delivery and pacing of the song. Over the course of our rehearsals, the main idea I wanted to get across was the power of the words of this song. ‘Make Them Hear You’ is all about speaking up and taking a stand in times of injustice no matter what obstacles come your way.”
Q: What are you most excited for the audience to see?
Mariah: “I am most excited for the audience to see all the hard work the students have put into this show. I’ve been seeing some sneak peeks of other pieces during tech rehearsals and the Dean students truly encapsulate what Arts Mosaic is about. It’s an amazing show!”
Anaia: “I am excited for the audience to see us perform live for the first time in two years. With the pandemic, many artists and I feared that we would not get an opportunity to perform for a live audience in a long time. The cast of Arts Mosaic has worked incredibly hard to showcase the talent we have been hiding during the pandemic, and I believe this will be a fantastic show.”
Hannah: “I am most excited for the audience to see live art again! Everyone has put so much work into the show and it really is the accumulation of two years without a live audience!”
Zion: “I’m excited to hopefully to inspire the audience with my performance allowing them to keep having conversations and taking a stand for what they believe in. I also look forward to the audience being moved from the collaboration of David and I since we truly worked well together to make this piece as powerful as possible.”
Q: What is your favorite part about participating in Arts Mosaic?
Mariah: “My favorite part about participating in Arts Mosaic is working with Sydney and coming up with unique, creative movements and ideas for our piece! I also love working with fellow students and performing live again!”
Anaia: “My favorite part about Arts Mosaic is the setup of the audience and stage. Quite different from shows usually held in Main Stage, Arts Mosaic is held in Guidrey Center. The audience is just a few footsteps away from the stage, and it creates an inviting environment for both performer and observer. As a dancer, I feel highly connected with the audience, and it enhances my performance abilities.”
Hannah: “My favorite part about participating in Arts Mosaic is the opportunity to use multiple mediums and collaborate with other artists!”
Zion: “Overall, I am very grateful to be a part of the Arts Mosaic as this is my first live performance at Dean since the pandemic. The Arts Mosaic has allowed me to continue to create and make art even in times of uncertainty and I am looking forward to being a part of this show this weekend!”
The Dean College production of Arts Mosaic will take place in the Guidrey Center in the Campus Center at Dean College, 109 West Central Street, Franklin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 29 and Saturday, October 30, as well as 2:00 p.m. Saturday. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit the Dean College Box Office.