GND Show!

Kayla Bilal, Writer

On January 25th and 26th, the Guys and Dolls dance company had their annual Up Close and Personal performance! It was creative, entertaining, and beautiful. All of the dancers exuded amazing performance quality and really put their best foot forward! There were 14 pieces in the show, including guest choreography, student choreography, and their signature company piece entitled Rapt. What really amazed me though, was the profressionalism that was showcased knowing that so much of the choreo was created by students. Although it appeared to be effortless, a lot of hard work went into creating the show. Nyla David ‘19 reveals that they, “would stay after school almost 2 hours each day.” They were constantly perfecting their routines which was no easy feat, especially due to the sometimes difficult stunts that were incorporated in these pieces. For example, Isa Sanchez’s piece, entitled “She Is”, three dancers had to stand on others’ backs and be hoisted in the air. Stanley Cannon ‘22 stated that he, “saw them fall . again and again before they got it right.” Not only that, but many of them had to stay extra hours to work with the guest choreographer. He was, as Ania Szydlowski ‘21 put it, “intense.” Despite all of that, she says that it was all worth it. This show has quickly become one of the best Guys and Dolls performances I have ever seen.