Written By: Alexandra Steyn

On Thursday, January 8, Rye Country Day hosted the Parsons Dance Company for the fifteenth annual Strong Family Dance Concert. An energetic event, the concert lasted forty-five minutes and featured five dances, including two group numbers and three solos. It served to expose students to contemporary forms of dance they may not have access to in their daily lives.

The concert began with a dance centered around a letter, passed between dancers as they jetted across the stage with unnatural movements. The group dance was followed by three solos. One included strobe lights and had the effect of a dancer seemingly floating across the stage. The final number was a lifting contemporary routine featuring mini solos and partner duets. Daphné Panie ‘27 noted the dances stood out for their “energy, joy, and passion,” as each one was filled to the brim with powerful jumps, sprints, and lifts. The accompanying music for each dance was also contemporary and unusual. For example, in one solo, verbal clicks and spoken words formed the music; another dance used robotic strums and screeches as its music. In response to the unusual forms of music, Panie reflected, “The music was surprising and it wasn’t what people would expect, so it added another layer and made it even more original,” pointing to the unconventional benefits of experimenting with music.

For Upper School Dance Teacher Mr. Fearon, the dance concert has been a long time coming. He first started to consider options for the dance concert in July, when it became his responsibility, and his first thought was the Parsons Dance Company. As a former dancer with Parsons, Mr. Fearon said he chose the dance company because he “personally know[s] their work is exciting and captivating to audiences of all ages.” He knew they would be a great company that could entertain students from Lower School through Upper School as well as faculty, so he immediately reached out to their booking agent. Once connected, Mr. Fearon was in constant communication with the Company throughout the fall, ensuring that the Performing Arts Center met all their requirements. “Every dance company needs a certain type of flooring, the stage to be lit this way,” he added of the process, mentioning that it involved “a lot of logistics” and “constant emailing back and forth.”

Mr. Fearon hoped the concert would show students the multitude of qualities dance offers. When describing the various aspects of dance, he said, “Dance can be beautiful, athletic, creative, and can look easy all at the same time.” He wanted students to learn that dance is not a stereotype or a singular thread, but rather there are so many ways to present dance to an audience. He found that this version of the Strong Family Dance Concert did exactly that. Panie agreed, adding that she found all the dancers “cool and innovative” and “really impressive.”

At the end of the concert, Mr. Fearon felt a mix of pride, nostalgia, and excitement, driven by both memories of his time on stage and the reactions he received from the audience, who remarked on their enjoyment of the performance. That enjoyment was also clear from the buzz of chatter as the audience filed out of the theater, remarking on their favorite part of the concert.

The Parsons Dance Company left a lasting impression, setting a high bar for future choices for the Strong Family Dance Concerts. It brought an exciting and unconventional twist to dance, challenging assumptions about what dance should look like. By the dancers’ last bow, the audience cheered wildly and left hoping for more.