Arts

Insight into the Winter Dance Assembly

By Annie Ehm ‘27 in Spring 2025

Every Fall and Spring, the MA student body filters into the theater for a showing of Marin Academy's Dance I and Dance II/III/IV students' work in the Dance Assemblies. The assembly consists of a robust variety of dance style, music, and group size and displays voices from first-time student choreographers to professional guest choreographers. The dances are the culmination of students' growth in dance and choreographic technique throughout the semester and incorporate student input in everything from lighting design to music and message.

While this is a fantastic opportunity to experience and acknowledge MA dancers' talents in both dance and choreography, there can remain some disconnect with audiences that don't frequently interact with dance or needing to answer questions of "but what does it mean?" To aid this and bridge a gap between the work in the studio and what one sees on the stage, we stepped behind the curtain to explore MADCO's choreographic process by speaking to Pamela Shoebottom, Marin Academy's dance teacher, and her MADCO students.

Shoebottom described the process of getting from idea to stage as first learning taught phrasework, practicing structured improvisations, then finding music, and lastly identifying a story arc of characters. "Then we take all those ingredients, put them in a bowl and stir them up!" After her first year at Marin Academy, Pamela described entering the fall semester with a new momentum that arrived with students returning after the summer. Many of the dances that will take the stage this year were made by Dance I students who will be making their choreographic debut. Pamela identified trying to push beyond lyrics for the story arc and the pursuit of "cool moves" as sticking points that these students had to push through, but through speaking to these students, it seems they have completely embraced finding meaning in movement and incorporating the tools they learn in the choreographic process.

In addition to speaking to Pamela, I spoke to some of the MADCO students in creating their dances. Below is a short preview into a few of the themes and processes that will be seen taking the stage this Winter:

This year's group piece for Dance II and III, choreographed by Pamela Shoebottom, follows a story arc of exploring the abyss and vast space that exists within one’s mind.

Kate Linder ‘29, Eloise McCarthy ‘29, and Chrissy Nguyen ‘29 choreographed a piece to Zach Bryan’s “Pink Skies.” This piece utilizes characters to convey a story of death and reminiscing on happy moments.

Grace Johnson ‘29 and Serena Zhao ‘28 choreographed a dance to “The Love Club” by Lorde. This piece displays a club that is breaking apart and the resulting conflict and rebuilding that follow.

Elizabeth Burnstein ‘28, Charlie Newhoff ‘28, and Niki Sriram ‘28  have choreographed a piece to “United in Grief,” though their song choice is subject to change. This piece explores different forms of 

grief, ways of coping with grief, and how some forms of grief may ultimately be harmful.

So, as you sit into your seat, eager to watch your peers take the stage, how should you approach viewing this assembly? Well, the simple answer is that there are many ways. Pamela encouraged just using your imagination in order to come to your own conclusions, noting that the audience's interpretation truly transforms the dancers' final product. Alternatively, for a more focused viewing, try identifying the characters, their relationships, and how those progress throughout the piece. Ultimately, however you decide to enjoy the assembly is valuable and will lead to connections between each dance. My hope is that students are inspired to watch with intention and to celebrate their peers. Go MADCO cats!