Flora Milford, Op-Ed Editor, Ella Diers, Editor in Chief
Get your dancing shoes on and mosey on over to the last Chelonia in the Neese Theater this week! Directed by Chris Johnson, Chelonia is Beloit’s annual dance concert. There will be an astounding eleven dance performances choreographed by students and faculty alike.
“The choreography is by both students and faculty, there are lots of different styles and I’m gonna be busting it down personally. It’s gonna be lit,” said Ava Parr‘25. This is not Parr’s first rodeo. The junior has participated in Chelonia in the past, but that doesn’t dim her excitement for this show. “I heard Adrianna’s twerking in Chelonia,” she said.
Adrianna Terrell’25 is also a dance veteran. “We’re so excited to show you what we’ve been working on… we’ve been working on it since September,” she said. Terrell also participated in December Dance and will be performing that solo again in Chelonia.
Marino Komai, a sophomore at Beloit and a dancer in the show, raved about the upcoming performance, stating that “Chelonia has beautiful lighting and setting… People should know how beautiful it is, the dancers are amazing and creative. So everyone should be there!”
Gina T’ai, assistant professor of dance at Beloit, is choreographing a dance featuring Emma Logas, Shakira Wilson, and Bethany Yu. T’ai also spoke about the beauty of dance. She spoke about how through witnessing live art, you experience something visceral. In a culture where everyone is living through a screen, we don’t value live performance art. In going to a performance like Chelonia, the viewer can experience a way of feeling, experiencing art for art’s sake. T’ai said that people are sometimes put off from going to dance shows like Chelonia because they feel like there’s something they need to “get.” They come away feeling stupid for not “getting it,” but there’s nothing to “get.” The point is to feel.
Viv Kopka’27 is in three group numbers this Chelonia: “Hallucinations,” “Alive!” and “Why?” Kopka spoke about her costumes for the show, saying “One of my costumes has a ‘going-out’ vibe, and I think the choreographer and the costume shop did a good job matching our personalities with our outfits.” She also spoke about Shelbi Wilkin, the manager of the costume shop at Beloit. “Shelbi, and everyone in the costume shop, have been doing amazing. They want to make sure you feel comfortable and look good.”
In classic Beloit fashion, Chelonia is turtle-related: the name “Chelonia” refers to a type of turtle, scientifically known as Testudines. The word “Chelonian” is now used in place of the word “Chelonia,” but the words can be used interchangeably. Chelonians are known for their hard outer shells because, like turtles, they are turtles. The dance has its own sneaky connection to Beloit’s favorite animal! As the former Beloit College President Scott Bierman would say, “Chelonians all the way down!”
Chelonia goes up this Thursday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. with subsequent shows on Friday and Saturday, also at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. From behind-the-scenes technical aspects, outstanding dancers, and masterful choreographers, the show is set up to be a smashing success.
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