Dancefest, Colgate’s bi-annual showcase of student talent across all dance genres, drew an enormous crowd to the Colgate Memorial Chapel on Friday, April 4. The two-hour event, hosted by comedic seniors Will Daniel and Greg Holevas, featured 24 performances by an array of Colgate dance groups. During this year’s Dancefest, each group’s performances were delightfully unique, making the event exciting and enjoyable.

Though all groups danced phenomenally, there were clearly a few standout performances that captured the audience’s attention. “SGA Recognized,” the official title of a performance by Wolfpack, was a clear crowd favorite. The all-male hip-hop group danced to a pop medley that included “Call Me Maybe,” by Carly Rae Jepson and a variety of Justin Timberlake songs. Choreographers sophomore Alan Kim and senior Eric Uyemura created a routine that was energetic, entertaining and engaging for their massive audience.

First-year Kristen Weymouth, junior Rachel Magege and sophomore Tanner Holley choreographed a routine entitled “I Woke Up Like This #SERFBORT,” performed by the group D.D.T. The high energy and excellent performance abilities of these group members helped them win over the Chapel Friday night, bringing with them an attitude worthy of the Beyonce reference.

“Bollywood Love Story,” featured an overprotective Indian steel Tycoon Eboo Patel, played by senior Takreem Siddiqui, his daughter, played by sophomore Aishwarya Teegala and her suitor, played by junior Sagar Saxena. This “lesson in Bollywood” was true to Bollywood film tradition in that the dancing was joyful and part of a narrative, which was told in voice-over. Both choreographers, Teegala and Saxena, seemed to be masters of the Bollywood tradition, especially in their personal performances.

“Rama Lama Bang Bang,” performed by GROOVE and choreographed by senior Hannah Derbyshire and sophomore Lauren Stewart, featured dancers dressed as zombies in this cutting-edge performance. True to the standards of GROOVE, this performance mixed the technical proficiency of their well-trained dancers with the group’s consistent desire to keep dances interesting, and they definitely pulled it off in this performance.

This semester’s Dancefest had many moments worth mentioning, especially the Colgate Ballroom Dancers and in particularly the lifts executed by leaders and choreographers juniors Jenna Bryfonski and Dylan Crouse; the emotive moves of FUSE as choreographed by seniors Sebastian Sangervasi and April Bailey; the technical ability of the Tahitian Dancing Club, as choreographed by junior Lokelani Cummings-Watanabe; the grace of the Colgate Ballet Company and the Bellydancing Club; the spinning ability of seniors Hillary Stark and Mary McGee and the sheer energy and ability of the huge Kuumba dance group as choreographed by the talented senior Jill Goltzer and sophomore Grace Tormey.

 Dancefest veterans, seniors Chelsea Blessis, Jennifer Calzarette, Hannah Derbyshire, Rebecca Gibson, Jill Goltzer, Chloe Holt, Mary McGee, Kayla Ponturo, Kara Schmidt, Stark and Lauren Tuttle performed together one last time in a well-executed performance titled “Last Dance.” These important leaders of the Colgate dance community will surely be missed next year. Overall, this year’s Dancefest was enticing, exciting and definitely worth watching.