CORRECTION: A previous version of the story spelled Natalia Carrera’s name incorrectly.
LBCC’s Spring Dance Ensemble in Concert guided the audience through a variety of different emotions and created a diverse and impactful experience paired with unique themes on April 19.
The concert is a part of the dance program’s tradition of performing one concert each fall and spring semester, where students and faculty come together to choreograph original dances.
This spring semester’s concert featured 11 dances, with four being choreographed by students and the other seven by faculty.
The first dance, titled “Lost on the Nine,” showcased 1950’s inspired costumes including knee length skirts, dresses and tuxedos.
Directly after this piece, the audience was met with a suspenseful dance titled “Precipice” with chilling music and orchestra strings coupled with a combination of flowy and sharp moves.
Dancer Gwen Casillan, who performed in “Precipice,” explained why that was one of her favorite pieces in the concert.
“It really resonated with me as I performed it and each reach for me, it was something that I connected to. I was able to perform it in a way where I didn’t have to think about it so much and really just focus on the emotions and expressing feelings of longing and reaching and rowing,” Casillan said.
After this intense dance, the concert transitioned to more emotional numbers like “Daylight Moon,” which followed a tragic love story where two people long to be with each other, but are forbidden.
Dancer Janell Cobian strikes a pose during the dance “Flower Child” at the dress rehearsal on April 15 in the Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium. The Spring 2025 Dance Ensemble In Concert is a large scale production show by the dance program at LBCC and it played three shows. (Sam Villa) 
Dancer Janell Cobian dances during the dance “Flower Child” at the dress rehearsal on April 15 in the Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium. The Spring 2025 Dance Ensemble In Concert is a large scale production show by the dance program at LBCC and it played three shows. (Sam Villa)
“Flower Child,” a hopeful light embodiment of sisterhood with a sorrowful twist, was also performed with the popular song “Je te laisserai des mots” by Patrick Watson.
The most impactful dance of the night was “The Pursuit of Progress” as it illustrated the difference of power that women have in comparison to men in society.
Women dancers reach behind men dancers in the dance “The Pursuit of Progress” as they assert dominance, at the dress rehearsal on April 15. The Spring 2025 Dance Ensemble In Concert is a large scale production show by the dance program at LBCC and it played three shows. (Paloma Maciel) 
Dancer name, lifts dancer name during the dance “The Pursuit of Progress” at the dress rehearsal on April 15. The Spring 2025 Dance Ensemble In Concert is a large scale production show by the dance program at LBCC and it played three shows. (Paloma Maciel) 
Male dancers grab dancer Kayla Sarabia during the dance “The Pursuit of Progress” at the dress rehearsal for The Spring 2025 Dance Ensemble In Concert on April 15. The scene represented an enactment of sexual assault. (Paloma Maciel)
Visual differences of power were shown as men stood huddled together, while a woman crouched down on the floor feeling small. While in another scene a group of men tugged at a women’s dress, trying to forcefully undress her.
Each performer took turns expressing their own view of what it means to be a woman and many details portrayed the realistic exhaustion that women carry as they continue to live in a male dominated world.
A unique feature of the show was the jazz theme that ran throughout its entirety.
“I thought it was a lot of fun, I thought there were a lot of interesting pieces and I liked that it started with a jazz piece and ended with a jazz piece and then there were some like themes throughout with similar costumes or like suits or kind of different time eras and stuff like that,” said Jessica Lacy, an audience member at the concert who’s in the Dance Program at LBCC and plans to be in next semesters dance concert.
“Si O No,” a Latin jazz dance that mixed the genres of salsa and afro dance, opened the second half of the show and “Toot To the Suit,” a high energy jazz piece inspired by the ‘70s ended the show.
The closing dance featured bold colored suits, a high platform that dancers took turns spinning and doing jumps on, and a tap break.
The Spring 2025 Dance Ensemble in Concert marked two student choreographer’s last dance show at LBCC.
Casillan and Claire Durham shared their favorite part about being in this year’s dance concert.
“My favorite part about performing in the dance show is definitely the reactions of the audience and the feeling of performing, because whenever I perform on stage, it’s like I come alive with the dance and it’s almost as if the movement changes from the rehearsal process to being on stage and having that live audience because it’s almost electrifying and empowering when there’s a live audience watching us do what we’re passionate about, which is dance,” said Casillan, who choreographed “Daylight Moon” and has performed in four dance ensembles concerts at LBCC.
After graduating from LBCC this Spring semester, Casillian will be completing her bachelor’s of arts in dance at Cal State Fullerton and hopes to dance professionally in the near future.
Claire Durham choreographed the dance “Flower Child” and has performed in two dance ensemble concerts during her time at LBCC.
“My favorite (part) is the week of performance because the energy is super high and everyone’s super nervous and just seeing everything come together on stage is really a beautiful thing. I just feel like there’s just so much energy and it’s really good energy, mutual energy between the whole cast,” Durham said.