Go to the Fall Dance Series!

With the Fall Term rapidly coming to a close, one of Lawrenceville’s biggest events will make its 2024-25 debut on November 16, the last Saturday of the trimester. Under Director of Dance Derrick D. Wilder H ’78, students have been gathering weekly for rehearsals, earnestly preparing for the closing performance of the term. As with all dance series, the show will be a night filled with high-energy pieces and global dance forms. However, unlike most dance series, there are some exciting new developments to look forward to.

En Corps have long been an adored aspect of the dance program, with the student-led and student-choreographed groups providing opportunities for every Lawrentian to shine on the Kirby Arts Center stage. The En Corps program is always changing and evolving, but in this series, the stage will host a group unlike any other: Light That Dance (LTD). Started by Anton Popowitz ’26, LTD will introduce a revolutionary perspective on what dance can be at Lawrenceville. Introducing a new take on storytelling and creativity, the technology-based dance group will choreograph with lights, rather than people. Popowitz hopes to “engage a new type of artist in the theater” with the group. While the group, containing five members, will make its debut this week, he explains that the group already has exciting things planned for future dance series that students should keep an eye out for. 

Sophie Yang ’26 is one of the inaugural members of LTD, and she describes her adoration for the group, saying that she loves “the close-knit atmosphere of the team and its experimental nature, which leaves room for so much fun and creativity.” 

Not only is Yang a part of the debut group, but she also represents a new aspect of the show. Taking on the title of Big Red Dance’s first ever Head Stage Manager, she will be a vital cast member, keeping the show running smoothly alongside a team of backstage technicians. She has expressed her admiration for the passion and dedication that go into the series. “When you go see the dance series, you have to keep in mind that everything you see is the dancers’ absolute best of their capability, which has been shaped through countless weeks of practice,” explained Yang. The production crew has been a vital component of the dance series, staying backstage to execute technical aspects, from the lights and sound to the props. Despite being rewarding, the production week is an intense time for everyone, as it demands those who are involved to spend several hours each night, rehearsing the individual dances before finally combining each separate piece into one cohesive series. 

This Dance Series will also bring back fan favorites to the KAC. Bold Athletes Dancing (BAD), established by Wilder last year, is an En Corps team that brings students from the athletic fields to the stage. Eli Lacey ’25, Lawrenceville School President and Captain of the Varsity Boys’ Football Team,   will represent football in BAD. Lacey, who is new to the dance aspect of performing arts, conveyed his enthusiasm in “seeing the excitement amongst the group every time [they] learn a new part.” Other returning En Corps groups include the Lawrenceville Dance Team, L-Krew, FroBeats, and more, and they will perform student-choreographed pieces with styles such as K-Pop, hip-hop, and contemporary.  

A dance series veteran, the Lawrenceville School’s Dance Company (LSDC), directed by Wilder, Kristine Devine-Jones ’10, and Erika Mero, will return to the stage for their fifth season as a collective. Each week, LSDC meets three times a week to learn and rehearse their choreographies, in addition to practicing on their own times. The company, which welcomed two new members this school year, will bring five original pieces to the series, ranging in styles from contemporary to classic jazz. The company will also premiere its first ever full-company ballet piece, choreographed by Mero.Clara Khabbaz ’26, a third-year member of the LSDC, describes the dance series as “an opportunity for everyone on campus to come together to support each other,”  fostering a creative platform for “people of all levels of dance who dance completely different styles.”

Overall, Yang describes the production as one of the most diverse communities on campus, ranging from ballet dancers and hip hop to technicians and athletes; it’s great to see so many people with different interests come out to the KAC and support their friends.”