Modern Movement presents ‘A Natural Woman’ at 5x5 Dance Festival

Modern Movement, a student organization at Eastern Connecticut State University, participated in the 5x5 Dance Festival on March 27. The annual showcase, presented by the Autorino Center for the Arts at the University of Saint Joseph, was adapted virtually because of the pandemic, with participants pre-recording dances for an online premiere.

This year’s festival featured seven professional dance companies from across the state and four college dance groups — from Eastern, Central Connecticut State University, the University of St. Joseph and the University of Hartford.

Modern Movement’s dance to “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin was choreographed by senior theatre major Erin Raymond. “I originally choreographed this piece while teaching a class at The Complex Performing Arts Centre in Putnam. I then taught it at Modern Movement and continued developing the work. The piece came out of my own desire to dance with others in person, in our space — something that we hadn’t been able to do for a while.”

In addition to Raymond, dancers included students Serena Innaco, Olivia Innaco, Macee Barry, Chayanne McNeil and Lauren Knowles. The mission of the Modern Movement student club is to inform and educate students about the different aspects of dance and musical movement. Participation in the 5x5 Dance Festival is one of the club’s annual activities.

Written by Michael Rouleau

Categories: Student Activities