Students perform winning piece at Capital Region dance competition

“Full Blown,” a high-energy piece choreographed by Department of Theatre and Dance Assistant Professor Anthony Alterio and performed by nine Fredonia students, won first place in the So You Think You Can Choreograph competition held by Nacre Dance Group in Saratoga Springs.

Mr. Alterio says the piece invokes what he calls “trash realness,” a campy subculture of GLAM. “Attitude, clothing, femininity and masculinity, physique and youth all become obscured by queerness throughout the performance,” Alterio explained. “In this context, queerness will be the gender fluidity on stage that destroys the traditional hyper binary of the male and female that pervades dance.”

Students who performed the piece were: Justin Autz, a junior Acting and Communication: Media Management major from East Northport; Tia Clark, first-year, Dance, Hilton;  Mikayla Johnson, sophomore, Dance, Lakewood, N.Y.; Virginia Raffaele, sophomore, Dance and Theatre Arts, Pittsford; Kory Randles, first-year, Dance, Buffalo;

Also, Desiree VanDyke, sophomore, Dance, Chemung; Julianne Wagner, first-year, Dance, Monroe; Eric Young, first-year, Dance, Buffalo; and Allyson Hineman, sophomore, Dance, San Jose, Calif.

Alterio said the piece infused styles of voguing, waacking, hip hop and jazz to tell a story of limitless representations of gender, performed to the queer idol Lady Gaga song “ScheiBe.”

As the choreographer of the winning entry, Alterio will get to set a new work for the dance company’s 2020 season. Nacre Dance is a contemporary dance company based in Saratoga Springs. Its annual SYTYCC competition is designed to highlight the Capital Region’s talent in modern and contemporary choreography.

Eight pieces, performed by dancers from universities, colleges, professionals in the field and dance companies, were entered the competition, held Nov. 2 at the Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Springs. The audience actually chooses the winner of the annual competition.