Some sat quietly in corners with headphones in, some working on last-minute homework. Others stretched or rehearsed their dances in back hallways. Choreographers and members of Orange Pulse Dance’s executive board flitted back and forth in the hallways.

This was backstage in Goldstein Auditorium an hour before Orange Pulse Dance Troupe’s annual Charity Showcase.

‘The atmosphere’s so crazy in here right now,’ said Mariann Yip, a sophomore public relations major in her second year with Orange Pulse. ‘Some people are super nervous, others are excited. People are running around doing makeup and looking for their clothes. It’s a mess.’

The dancers had rehearsed since September for their ninth annual Charity Showcase on Saturday. This year’s theme was ‘Lights, Camera, Dance,’ set to songs from movie soundtracks.

Orange Pulse is a non-audition, nonprofit student organization that started in 2003 by students who wanted to dance for the sake of dancing, according to its website. The troupe, run entirely by students, has 140 members.

Julie Castro, a senior history major, said she most looked forward to seeing her father in the audience at this show because both her mother and boyfriend could not make it.

‘He’s going to have to watch modern and jazz and contemporary all by himself,’ Castro said. ‘But I love that he’s going to be here to watch.’

Forty-five minutes to curtain and inside the auditorium, the lights crew tested spotlights while the sound crew blasted club music to check sound levels. The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Orange Pulse’s charity of choice for the showcase, set up its table in the back of the room.

The foundation’s mission is togrant wishes to kids with life-threatening medical conditions and was the show’s beneficiary. Cindy Musumeci, a volunteer of Make-A-Wish for 25 years, said she was glad to see campus groups like Orange Pulse giving back to charity organizations. 

Fifteen minutes before curtain. The auditorium crackled with energy as hundreds of audience members filled the seats. Parents held onto flowers and cards for dancers, and students chatted excitedly about seeing friends onstage.

Stephanie Barbarosh, a senioreducation major, was in the audience to see one of her best friends, Laura Dunn, dance in the show.

‘She’s my little star,’ Barbarosh said.

The lights dimmed, and three members of Orange Pulse’s executive boardappeared onstage.

‘Thank you so much for coming out tonight. Enjoy the show,’ exclaimed President Sara McAlister, a senior social work and psychology dual major.

The curtain opened. It was showtime.

The show’s dances varied from melancholic, modern pieces to pounding hip-hop and flashy jazz numbers. A hip-hop group performed a Halloween-esque piece to a song from ‘Ghostbusters,’ complete with lab coats and a fake bubbling cauldron. Jazz dancers shimmied to the sassy ‘Bust Your Windows’ by Jazmine Sullivan.

During the show, photo slideshows honored graduating seniors and took the audience through the past year at Orange Pulse. As the last group of dancers hit their ending pose and the stage went black, the audience erupted in applause and whistles. Dancers hugged and high-fived each other as the lights came back up.

They took their bows and waved goodnight to the still-applauding audience, sending up a triumphant, end-of-year whoop as the curtain closed.

sjtaddeo@syr.edu                                         

Published on April 1, 2012 at 12:00 pm