Rush Presents put on three shows that demonstrated performers’ athleticism, coordination and talent for dancing. Each dancer performed a creative story or message intentionally chosen by choreographers.
The choreographers of Rush Presents are typically specially-selected senior students who are looking to showcase their choreography and enjoy the experience of Rush one last time. The three seniors selected this year were Tyler Gleason, Megan Weidner and Emily Wohlers. This group presented a show that included symbolical and expressive solo dances, marionettes, pirates, zombies and a toy action figure.
Gleason’s dances were choreographed to the songs “Little Secrets” by Passion Pit, “Pyrates Beware” from the latest Assassin’s Creed game soundtrack and “Animus Vox” by The Glitch Mob. His solo, Little Secrets, was bold and fun; as he danced to the song in short shorts, a tank top and a cape.
“Imagination is the best super power of all,” Gleason said, “and dancing to this song made me feel like a superhero action figure.”
His final dance of the night was to “Animus Vox” looked like a scene from a zombie apocalypse movie. At the end of the show, all the zombie performers crawled out from under the audience’s seats onto the stage, surprising everyone.
Weidner’s contribution to the show featured a video of dancers moving to the three different choreographers’ directions. The choreographers were the marionette masters with the dancers as their puppets. Weidner chose her solo song “Forgetting” by David Gray, because it gave her the image of letting people and things go.
“This dance is about facing the things we don’t want face,” Weidner said. “Whether they are things in our past or things we don’t want to think about, we become better and we get closure from it.”
Wohlers also choreographed three dances; her songs were “Tightrope” by Janelle Monáe, “Royals” by Lorde and “Dog Days” by Florence and the Machine. Wohlers’ dance to “Tightrope” was about liking yourself even when others don’t.
Wohlers chose “Royals” for her solo song because of its high compatibility to the choreography she wanted to perform. The inspirations behind her solo were her memories of her small-time high school. The students there believed that nobody in their high school would go on to do anything with their lives. Wohlers wanted to express being someone who does leave and is doing something with her life.
Although each choreographer had a different message they wanted to portray, they found a common form of expression in dance.