Artistic breadth

 UTRGV’s 2025 Senior Showcase, “Eclipsed: A Dance of Shadow and Light,” delivered a program of striking contrasts and emotional intensity, demonstrating the graduating class’s artistic breadth. 

The performance took place Thursday at the Performing Arts Complex on the Edinburg campus.

The evening, a testament to the students’ rigorous training and individual vision, transcended mere technical display, venturing into the realm of profound psychological exploration. 

Choreographer and dance junior Marc Creado’s “The Coven” opened the program with a darkly seductive narrative. The choreography, a study in power dynamics, presented female dancers as figures of almost puppetrylike control, ensnaring a male figure in a mirrored duet of chilling precision. 

The piece culminated in a dramatic sacrifice, a willing plunge into an abyss of lust and seduction, exploring the perilous intersection of love and dominance. The dancers’ coordination was both timely and dangerously evocative, creating a palpable sense of unease. 

Guest choreographer and dance senior Vanessa Barnett’s “The War In Our Heads” emerged as a standout, a visceral journey into psychological turmoil. The piece, set to a haunting score by the rock band A Perfect Circle, was amplified by meticulously crafted lighting effects. 

Dance postbaccalaureate student Analisa Ochoa’s performance was nothing short of revelatory. Her piercing scream, a raw expression of internal conflict, resonated with a chilling force. Her facial expressions, far from mere accompaniment, became integral to the narrative, proving that dance extends beyond bodily movement to encompass the full spectrum of human expression. 

The audience was cautiously drawn into a psychological space, a testament to Barnett’s talent and the dancers’ immersion. 

Guest choreographer and dancer Andrea Barron’s “Rouse” offered a radical departure from conventional dance performance.

 Employing multimedia, Barron challenged the audience’s expectations, delivering an obtuse cry that demanded attention. 

The piece acted as a disruptor, shifting the paradigm of how dance can convey meaning. Her work was a visual and auditory performance that challenged the audience members to reconsider their expectations of dance as a medium.

Guest choreographer Fred Darsow’s “Palo Seco,” performed by guest dancers Cheri McDowell and Karen Schupp, was a tour de force of minimalist expression. The piece, a video installation of stark simplicity, deconstructed dance to its most fundamental elements. 

The absence of music and vibrant color allowed the audience to focus solely on the dancers’ isolated movements and the subtle rhythm of their bare feet against the floor. 

The effect was mesmerizing, a return to the primitiveness and veracity of human movement. 

Choreographer and dance senior Gabriela Meza’s “The Tempest Within” provided a fittingly fluid and visually arresting conclusion to the evening. The water motif seamed through both the lighting and costumes, creating a transcendent experience and underscoring the power of dance to evoke emotion through visual narrative. 

The ensemble’s performance was both graceful and powerful, leaving the audience with a lingering sense of awe. 

“Eclipsed” showcased the UTRGV seniors’ and guest artists’ mastery of their craft, demonstrating their ability to contextualize complex themes with both technical skill and artistic sensitivity. The showcase was a compelling reminder of dance’s power to illuminate the human condition.