For the first time this year, Terpsichore Dance Collective will take to the stage in Harbach for a full showcase performance, Fractal Fusion, which will be performed on Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m.
As with most Terpsichore productions, the constant in Fractal Fusion is variety.

Dancing to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” the group experiments with the sounds and motions dancing in a giant plastic bag. (Michelle Orr/TKS)
According to senior Evelyn Langley, whose final piece for Terpsichore will appear in the performance, the show may feel different from its predecessors, but only because it keeps with their one constant: change. With new choreographers and a different array of dancers every term, the productions shift to reflect the visions of their creators.
“Terp has always been about a strange mix of things and it all comes down to the people who want to dance and perform together. So I think that what we’re doing now is completely in line with that,” said Langley.
Each term leading up to a mainstage show tends to be chock full for those involved, from choreography selections, to auditions, to first and second showings during which pieces are given feedback and the production managers are able to gain an idea of what the performance will look like as a whole.
Of course, this generally means they have something new and noteworthy in the works. This term, it involves incorporating other artists from the Knox community.
Senior Michelle Orr’s music capstone will be set to dance in collaboration with Langley, creating a piece that borrows elements learned over the winter break Ghana trip that both attended. The two pieces which will represent Knox at the American College Dance Festival will also be performed, one by junior Juan Irizarry and another by seniors Chelsea Embree and Alyssa Kennamer. The finale will also be choreographed by Pandora’s Box.
“As a student-run dance collective, we know how difficult it is to get a performance space and generate an audience, so we wanted to help those people who are doing work that is in line with our goals,” said junior and co-production manager Allie Fry.
As always, the performance will offer Terpsichore’s various choreographers the opportunity to gain experience and showcase their work.

Choreographed by sophomore Sammie Zimay, the song “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons is used to focus on the subject of cancer. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
Fractal Fusion will be choreographer and sophomore Sammie Zimay’s debut with Terpsichore. A transfer student without extensive choreography experience, she applied and received a spot in the lineup for her piece, which deals with cancer and its impact on society. Her motivation started with the song “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, which brought cancer to her mind and got her thinking about how many people she knew, including herself, whose lives have been impacted by cancer in some way.
Her intent was to produce something to which many could connect. “Yes, this is a battle that a lot of us are fighting, but it’s something that we can fight,” she said.
On the other end of the spectrum, Langley’s piece will follow her extensive involvement with Terpsichore since fall term of her first year at Knox. Her concept began with a vision of dancing in a large material form — she and her dancers settled on a giant plastic bag.
“As we’ve worked with the material, it’s naturally come up, ‘What does this material mean? What are our associations with it? What’s informing these feelings and how are we negotiating that relationship to it?’” Langley said.
After almost four years, she still views Terpsichore shows as an opportunity to showcase work in progress.
“I wonder how much dance would be created here if there wasn’t a show. I see the show as something that motivates people to create, but I hope it’s not the only reason that they’re creating,” she said.
Still, all this variety can make the show difficult to compile into a cohesive whole.
“Something that’s fun about Terp, but also a challenge is that we get so many applications that are totally different genres, very different messages or intents and we package it all into one show,” Fry said.
The pieces run the gambit, creating situations where upbeat choreography to Beyonce’s “Upgrade You” could be performed just before or after something like Irizarry’s piece dealing with head trauma and physical recovery.
“We are bringing together so many different, conflicting elements, sometimes the show order feels a little like an emotional rollercoaster. But we hope that it will make for something unique and beautiful,” Fry said.
Editor’s note: Michelle Orr is the Senior Photo Editor for The Knox Student. Chelsea Embree is the Digital Editor for The Knox Student.
- Senior Ben Yoder-Henley performs for the Terpsichore Dance Collective dress rehearsal on Wednesday, March 5. (Jason Deschamps/TKS)
- Freshman Maya Klem and senior Haley Schutt perform during dress rehearsal of the Terpsichore Dance Collective on Wednesday, March 5. (Jason Deschamps/TKS)
- Senior Evelyn Langley, freshman Mary Blair, sophomore Morgan Tonner and freshman Diandra Soemardi perform a dance inspired by the ocean during dress rehearsal on Wednesday, March 5. (Jason Deschamps/TKS)
- Dancers of the Terpsichore Dance Collective perform a dance inspired by the ocean during dress rehearsal on Wednesday, March 5. (Jason Deschamps/TKS)
- Dancers of the Terpsichore Dance Collective stand in the stage lights of Harbach theater during dress rehearsal on Wednesday, March 5. (Jason Deschamps/TKS)
- Freshman Diandra Soemardi performs senior Chelsea Embree’s dance inspired by the ocean. (Michelle Orr/TKS) Editors Note: Chelsea Embree is the web editor for The Knox Student.
- Dancing to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” the group experiments with the sounds and motions dancing in a giant plastic bag. (Michelle Orr/TKS)
- Dancing to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” the group experiments with the sounds and motions dancing in a giant plastic bag. (Michelle Orr/TKS)
- Freshmen Emily Trevor, Rachel Horne, and senior Emily Diklich experiment with the sounds and motions dancing in a giant plastic bag. (Michelle Orr/TKS)
- Freshmen Emily Trevor and Rachel Horne experiment with the sounds and motions dancing in a giant plastic bag. (Michelle Orr/TKS)
- Evelyn Langley and Alissa Kennemer dance to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” the group experiments with the sounds and motions dancing in a giant plastic bag. (Jason Deschamps/TKS)
- Seniors Alyssa Kennamer and Emily Diklich and freshman Emily Trevor experiment with the sounds and motions created by dancing in a giant plastic bag. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Junior Jen Gee and senior Joe Rogers dance to “In Transit,” a piece composed by senior Michelle Orr. (Casey Mendoza/TKS) Editors Note: Michelle Orr is the senior photo editor for The Knox Student.
- Senior Joe Rogers dances to “In Transit,” a piece composed by senior Michelle Orr. (Casey Mendoza/TKS) Editors Note: Michelle Orr is the senior photo editor for The Knox Student.
- Dedicated to post-baccalaureate fellow Zach Paluch ’13, junior Juan Irizarry choreographed a dance to the song “This Place Was A Shelter” by Olafur Arnalds. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Senior Nicole Spencer, junior Niko Kontos, freshman Mia Kosmicki, sophomore Lency Short and senior Ben Yoder-Henley perform a hip-hop piece. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Junior Niko Kontos, freshman Mia Kosmicki, sophomore Lency Short and senior Ben Yoder-Henley perform a hip-hop piece. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Senior Ben Yoder-Henley seeks help from the “Dance Gods” to find a song that everyone could dance to, “like in ‘High School Musical’”. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Freshman Kilee Vega and sophomore Sammie Zimay dance to “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, focusing on the subject of cancer. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Freshman Kilee Vega and sophomore Sammie Zimay dance to “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, focusing on the subject of cancer. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Sophomores Sofia Drummond-Moore and Sammie Zimay dance to “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, focusing on the subject of cancer. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Choreographed by sophomore Sammie Zimay, the song “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons is used to focus on the subject of cancer. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)
- Senior Michelle Orr composed a piece, “In Transit”, for her music capstone project in collaboration with choreographer Senior Evelyn Langley. The piece will be performed as part of the terpsichore dance collective (Jason Deschamps/TKS) Editors Note: Michelle Orr is the senior photo editor for The Knox Student.
Tags: acdf fractal fusion ghana terp terpsichore terpsichore dance collective
