Fairfield University Dance Ensemble (FUDE) took the stage this past Friday, March 22 with their annual dance showcase. I look forward to this performance every year! FUDE is a student-led organization and it is amazing to see all that they accomplish on their own. Every year, this performance showcases choreography from various students on the team. This year’s theme was, “Dance the Night Away.” With performances in the style of Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Ballet, Irish Step and so much more, the event wowed viewers!
Some tips if you plan to attend next year’s performance is to buy your tickets ahead of time and head over to the Quick Center early as seats fill up fast. When attending you can expect to see the Quick Center lobby filled with family members and friends holding flowers in their arms and smiles across their faces.
Leading up to the performance, months in advance, FUDE has been practicing at the RecPlex late at night. My roommate Elizabeth McLaughlin ‘25, a part of the Fairfield Irish Dance team, had the chance to choreograph her own song this year! Asking Elizabeth about the preparation and satisfaction after performing she said, “It was so fun performing a dance I was able to choreograph! We spent so much time perfecting it and everyone worked so hard.”
Elizabeth’s hard work and dedication paid off as every person in the audience interacted with her dance by clapping along to the beat of the music. Many of these dancers spend their days working hard to complete their homework and then spend their nights at dance practice. These dancers had some very late nights, sometimes Elizabeth wouldn’t come home till midnight!
Throughout the audience, there were a lot of first-time attendees this year, including Megan Farrell ‘25. “I thought the performance was amazing! It was so cool to see so many styles of dance, some of them even coming together for a few dances!” she exclaims. “The crowd was lively and helped to create such a fun and encouraging environment! The dances were amazing and I would definitely go again! I particularly loved the hip-hop performances!” she concludes.
Another attendee, Natalia Llano ‘25 adds that “It was an amazing, very well put together show! It shows how much hard work and effort the girls went through to make a great show, and the Hip hop dances were my fav!” Junior Bianca Pineiro offers her favorite dance of the night, “I loved the Irish Tap! Watching Irish Step has never been so fun to watch!” Pinerio continues, “I was also captivated by the fact that all of these dances were student choreographed, along with how good they were presented. They all blew my mind, and it was a great atmosphere to be a part of.” A bustling crowd outside and a packed audience added to the exciting atmosphere that propelled the show to Fairfield University stardom!
In the crowd were also other avid attendees, junior Lexi Currivan said, “I really enjoyed the song choices. You could truly feel the excitement and positive energy throughout the room.” Another junior, Celia Huber expressed her enjoyment of the event. “It looked very professional. The hip-hop dancing and Irish dancing were my favorite!”
All in all, anyone could easily tell by the look on people’s faces during the performances along with all the crowd participation, that the FUDE event was a hit. Congratulations to all the dancers who worked extremely hard to perform their hearts out for the whole audience. It was truly a great environment to be a part of and I can’t wait for next year!
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