The female-empowering lyrics of “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado filled the halls of the Music and Dramatic Arts building Oct. 13.
The song was a part of Physical Theatre Club’s Halloween dance workshop that features a beginner “Jazz-funk” class.
MORE DANCE: New dance organization, Fierce Felines of Rhythm and Roar, takes stage
Theatre performance junior Ella Labaj explained what “jazz-funk” is.
“So in jazz-funk, you are bringing in some elements of the basic jazz technique, but also adding a lot of technique that is learned in hip-hop,” Labaj said. “You see it a lot with background dancers.”
We went through basic stretching, and then we jumped into the choreography. Labaj and Maddy Antrainer, president of the Physical Theatre Club, have worked together to create the dance for the workshop.
They have gotten inspiration from their professors and teachers to contribute to their passion for dance.
“A big influence is definitely Nick Erickson. He is the professor of this place, so it inspires us to keep the club alive for sure,” Labaj said. “All the teachers and faculty here are helpful in letting us have a creative mind when it comes to impulses and creating our own work, so I think that’s really awesome.”
The club could only have the studio for an hour before others needed it for practice, but the hour they were given was full of passion, creativity and genuine fun. The effort put in to planning the event made it enjoyable for dancers and non-dancers alike.
REV RANK: Did “For All The Dogs” bring back the old Drake?
Marijah Kelly, 22, had never taken a dance class before coming to the workshop. Kelly said she enjoyed learning the dance and seeing the process of it being pieced together to create the end result.
“Everyone can dance.” “Everyone can have fun,” Labaj said. ”I think what I have, and everyone else that has come to these workshops, have learned that there is no wrong way to move your body, and everyone has different urges and impulses, and there are no wrong answers to it.”
Labaj and Antrainer had open arms for every student, whether it was just another dance class or for those who had never danced.
Physical Theatre Club hosts monthly workshops open to all LSU students. They switch classes from learning dances to aerial silks to gymnastics. They always have something new for everyone.
