An Incredible Open Performance

By Nora Penuela ’29

The Bessie Schönberg Dance Theatre. Image via sarahlawrence.edu

It was the evening of Oct. 13, 2025 in the Bessie Schonberg Theatre. Parents and students alike waited in anticipation to watch their friends and family have a moment in the spotlight. At 7:36 p.m., the theatre filled with the sound of the intercom introducing the first fall Open Performance for the dance department. After a land acknowledgement, the lights dimmed, the theatre became pitch black and the show began. 

The audience heard steps make their way across the stage. Glow-in-the-dark tape shined on the floor, showing the dancers to their beginning positions. Only this first performance was not just a dance, but a song too. Graduate students Nomi Wiersma ’26 and Amelia Boyce Munson gave the audience a ukulele concert with a tap dancing show. A smile showed on the musician’s face as they performed “Figures” by Jessie Reyez on the ukulele and the dancer moved gracefully in one of the greatest tap performances this reporter has ever seen. 

Oska Renee ’27 was up next in dancing trans to “Push Me In” by Millie Heckler. Renee performed inside a circle of light that shone on the dance floor as they moved like water. A beautiful performance capturing the fluidity of gender identity. 

The third performance began with a faint light and Charlotte Mascola ‘28 in a flowy red dress. The shadows of their movement were reflected on the dark floor and walls. Mascola was so graceful and their performance was so moving that one could imagine how much effort they, and their fellow dancers, put into choreographing, practicing and performing this piece. 

The next performance began with the back curtains opening and blue light covering the back wall of the stage as a familiar tune filled the theatre. Just Mario!, a Mario themed tap routine, was performed and choreographed by Lily Jaipet ’26. This performance was a delightful blast back to our childhoods: full of whimsy, fun, and adventure. Jaipet ended their performance with their Princess Peach sunglasses on, holding onto their Princess Peach figurine, before running off stage. 

In preparation for the next performance, the back curtains went back into place as something descended from the ceiling—it was a lightbulb, and underneath it were two dancers, Dance Major in Theater (DMT) Masters student Zi Mitkova ’27 and Kai Kohring ’27 leaning on one another. The lightbulb’s dim yellow light glowed as upbeat techno music began to play. It was a delightful surprise to see that the music was actually by performer Mitkova and Stefan Cekov, brilliant examples of the multidisciplinary talents of Sarah Lawrence students. This dance told an incredibly heartfelt story as both dancers made their way around the stage, then ultimately ending at where they began—underneath the bulb’s glowing yellow light. 

This Open Performance was not short on fun whimsical dances, with the sixth performance choreographed and performed by first year Alexei Grytensko ‘29 and performed alongside fellow first year, Elizabeth Hoffmanfriedes ‘29. In their Alice in Wonderland inspired costumes, these students began to dance in a jazz-like style to “Queen of Hearts” by Royal Scandal. This performance included many gymnastic feats. Tumbles and cartwheels adorned the stage as audience members smiled in bewilderment.

 The next performance was the largest by far, with four performers: Bridget Duran ’26, Lu Martell ’27, Courtney Rei ’26 and Maisie Wieser ’26. Their movements were graceful, stylized, and it was obvious that a lot of work was put into this performance by how in sync each dancer was with one another. 

The last performance was by one of the producers of the open performance, Dahlia Shepherd ’26. Ominous, wild-like music joined their panting as the dance told a story of what looked like deep, interpersonal struggle. This piece, titled Simmering, Settling, Summoning, was particularly moving because anyone in the audience could tell that this dance was telling a story of universal human experience—struggle. None could relate more as she ended her performance on the ground, panting audibly as the lights began to fade to black. 

After the immense applause she received, Shepherd burst back into action as her co-director Riley Mulder walked onto stage and they both thanked the audience for attending the performance. They advertised the Winter Performance on Dec. 5 & 6, and the Performance Project on Dec. 10, ending the night with a “thank you for coming” in unison to the crowd. Overall, this Open Performance was a chance for any student to choreograph a dance and perform it on stage. It was fantastic to see the talents of Sarah Lawrence students in dance, creativity and movement. One would highly recommend seeing the Spring Open Performance next semester, and all the other Dance Department Performances, for an incredibly amazing time.