Gritty hip-hop, fluid lyrical and hard-hitting contemporary dances are just a few of the highlights of “Without Limit,” a celebration of dance by The Broward College Dance Ensemble.
Bringing together students, alumni and community professionals both locally and from throughout the United States, producers of the tenth annual summer dance benefit concert say there will be 10 original choreographed works and more than 70 dancers in the Saturday, July 20 show at Bailey Hall in Davie.
“The show is going to be a mix of different styles, but it’s 10 separate pieces. Each piece has its own theme, its own style, its own story,” says Sabrina Talamo, assistant professor of dance in the Broward College Visual and Performing Arts department. “As you’re sitting in the audience, you are going to see something that you can relate to, something that will inspire you, move you, touch you and transform your life for the better.”
The dance concert is organized by Broward College, but auditions were open to outside dancers and choreographers.
Most participants are in the two-year Broward College dance program, according to Talamo. College students from throughout South Florida also audition for the show, and Broward College alumni, including some who study dance at universities throughout the United States, participate. Professionals from the community also volunteer.
“This summer, we had over 70 (dancers) audition and 70 are ultimately in the show,” says Talamo. “They are made up of students who are currently in our dance program. There are alumni who either recently graduated or even graduated nine years ago, and still come back every summer to perform. We also open it up to some community members, so a lot of students from other nearby colleges come and perform. . . ”
Choreographer Cheyenne Kellar, who teaches at Ballet Elite in Coconut Creek, choreographs with Loud Live Productions in West Palm Beach, and has danced professionally with Gloria Estefan and DJ Khaled, is one volunteer. She choreographed “The Mission,” a nearly nine-minute contemporary piece for 14 dancers themed around orbiting the moon. “It’s a mix of musical theater and contemporary so we can push through the storytelling,” says Kellar.
A dancer since she was five years old, Kellar says she volunteers for the summer concert because she loves sharing her emotional connection to movement.
“I was born to share the stories I have in my head through movement and expression,” she says. “I do this now because other dancers relate to how emotional I can be when I dance.”
“Without Limit” united students, alumni and professionals to direct, choreograph and perform. Choreographers worked individually with costume designer Vera Cowler as well as technical and lighting designers to bring each vision to the stage, according to Talamo.
It’s all to showcase and support Broward College’s dance program.
“In our program, we offer three levels of ballet and pointe and three levels of modern dance. We have two levels of jazz, a dance composition class that teaches the students how to become choreographers, and a class about the history of dance,” says Talamo.
In addition to classes, students work with choreographers from the student body, faculty and professional world. “We have choreographers that work in New York who come into our program to teach residency, so students get experience working with professionals in the industry,” says Talamo.
Alumni also return to mentor students, and collaborations with professionals in stage management, lighting and costume design help students become well-rounded.
“It’s really incredible to see the progress they make in the time that they’re with us and beyond, because by the time they leave our program a lot of them end up with scholarships to prestigious dance schools,” says Talamo.
Broward College dance alumni have started their own companies, danced with professional companies and pursued advanced degrees. Shane Garcia attended Broward College for one semester in the fall of 2011 and went on to be featured on season 10 of “So You Think You Can Dance,” the Fox reality series about an elite dance competition.
He returned to Broward College as a choreographer and to teach master classes in hip-hop. “Being at B.C. and building the connections and friendships plays a huge part in my dance career. When I was there, I took ballet and modern dance classes. Those classes aided in my style of dance,” says Garcia, who now lives in Tennessee.
Also a producer and composer, Garcia says he’s shifted focus to composing music, film scoring and creating movie trailer music. His classes helped him develop “Release,” an instrumental album he says is now on streaming platforms. “Being at B.C. aided in me discovering what I was meant to do as a teacher and dancer,” says Garcia.
TeChara Milligan, who just completed her sophomore year at Broward College as a dance major, would like to pursue dance studies at a university or join a professional company. She is dancing in two of the 10 “Without Limit” pieces. Though they are both contemporary, the styles are very different. “One is more storytelling, while the other is more fast, rigid and strong,” says Milligan.
Collaborating with other dancers presents different perspectives about dance styles, she says.
“It also gives you the opportunity to collaborate with people you never thought you’d be able to dance with, literally from everywhere around the U.S., that come from different colleges to join our summer dance program,” says Milligan.
The summer benefit concert began 10 years ago, when a student, Barkesha “Kesh” Green, came up with the idea of putting on a show to raise money for scholarships.
“When I started teaching at Broward College, a lot of talented students couldn’t finish their degree for financial reasons,” says Talamo. “What started as a small show earning a few hundred dollars has grown each year, in part because the alumni continue to come back and volunteer. Some of those students relied on scholarships in order to finish their degrees. That’s the reason some of them were able to go off and get their bachelor’s or get professional jobs. They know how much the scholarship meant to them, and so they return to do the same for others.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: ““Without Limit”
WHERE: Bailey Hall at Broward College, 3501 Davie Road, Davie
WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday, July 20
COST: $10
INFORMATION: 954-201-6843 or broward.edu/vpa/#events
