Among the shenanigans of Spring Party Weekend, students made their way to the chapel on Friday, April 15 for Dancefest, which featured a series of performances by talented dance groups and individuals on campus. One of the most celebrated events at Colgate, Dancefest provides ample entertainment every semester, and this show was no exception.

The theme of this semester’s show was “Dance is the Remedy.” The wide range of performances offered some­thing for everybody in attendance. All genres of music and dance were repre­sented, from upbeat hip-hop and pop to more subdued and lyrical ballads.

The show began with the opening number “Dance is the Remedy,” which was choreographed by senior Ana Almeyda-Cohen. All of the dance groups participated in this song, and they gave previews of the dances they were to perform later in the show.

The first group to take the stage themselves was the Colgate Ball­room Dancers, who danced to the crowd pleasing “Love the Way You Lie.” Choreographed by seniors Eugene Riordan and Lauren Kerby, this dance featured a smaller group of only four couples. Later in the show, more members of the group took the stage for their second performance, “Accidentally in Love.”

Next to perform was Groove, the dance group that sponsors Dancefest each semester. They first performed the pop song “Goldfish,” which was choreographed by sophomore Olivia Marchetti. Groove also concluded the entire show with their second performance to “Place for My Head,” which was choreographed by sophomore Moani Ichinose.

Among the other esteemed groups to perform were Bellydancing, Shock, Kuumba and the Colgate Ballet Company. Bellydancing impressed audiences with their performance of “Abdel Qadir,” in which some of the members rested swords on their heads while dancing. Shock gave two memorable performances, particularly their Broadway-inspired rendition of “Chicago,” as choreographed by senior Kaitlyn Kelly, junior Lauren Frisch and sophomore Jess Burnham.

Dancefest also featured different styles of dance from all around the world. The South Asian Cultural Club per­formed traditional Indian dance moves to “The Mix-Up,” as choreographed by senior Zunaira Javed and junior Sumeeta Sankar. Other culturally-infused perfor­mances included “NE1 in the Far East” by the Korean American Students Asso­ciation and the Chinese Interest Associa­tion, and “CSA be Misbehavin'” by the Caribbean Students Assocation.

One of the most memorable per­formances of the night was by the new group Walfpack, which was started by senior Walfrey Lim. The group consists of all males, who danced to an eclectic medley of songs ranging from a slow ballad to dubstep. By the end of their performance, Walfpack had the majority of the audience on their feet.

Dancefest was not only entertaining, but supported a great cause, as well. Proceeds went to Hamilton Center for the Arts, and audience members were also encouraged to donate to the relief effort in Japan.

“The event was a huge success. The dances were extremely well pre­pared, and executed their performances with energy! We had a packed house from beginning to end,” senior Alison Kimble said.

As always, Dancefest provided a wide range of talented perfor­mances and different dance styles, which amounted to an overall en­tertaining evening. To those who attended, Dancefest was one of the many fantastic events of Spring Party Weekend.