By Brianna Holcomb
arts and entertainment editor
TranscenDANCE reminds us of just how fun getting together can be in their fifth annual showcase, “The Family Reunion.”
The show was divided into five acts: “Girls’ Night,” “Up and Coming,” “Middle of the Road,” “Island Vybz” and “The Turn Up.” Each section featured a number of hit songs that displayed the many types of people you can find at your family reunion.
Hofstra alumni Matt “Hooks” Murdock and Sam “Enonomous” Jenkins hosted the show as well as gave a rap performance.
They were not the only guest performances for the night; the show also featured Hofstra’s Makin’ Treble, Strictly Steppin’ and Rhythmix.
“The Family Reunion” started with a skit introducing the theme of the show: the members of Transcendance are attending a family reunion and everyone wants to listen to their own music. The skit was a cute way to introduce what was taking place and it captured the many different personalities that were within the dance group.
“Girls’ Night” was a fun and flirty section that was accompanied by a pink backdrop. The songs chosen catered to those classic girly moments that usually occur before a group of girls head out for the night.
My favorite section, “Up & Coming,” was dedicated to featuring some of the music industry’s newest artists. Tory Lanez, Alessia Cara, Bryson Tiller and Kehlani were just a few of the artists that were featured in this section.
To accompany the newest names in music, TranscenDANCE kept their moves fresh and even a little seductive with a chair dance to Jacquees’ “Come Thru.”
“Middle of the Road” was a section plagued with emotion. The songs that were chosen for this act were meant to display emotional ties between the listener and the dancers. All of the female dancers in this section wore white dresses, giving them an angelic look on the stage. The dances in this section were catered towards a modern style unlike the previous sections.
The fourth section of the show was “Island Vybz,” a tribute to the West Indies. This section featured a mix of reggae and soca music. The backdrop was a bright orange, which helped to brighten the colorful shirts that the dancers wore. Of course the “Island Vybz” section of the night could not be complete without hearing Rihanna’s hit single “Work,” off her newest album “Anti.”
To end the show, the last section of the night was “Turn Up.” This was the most fun section of them all, which focused on more recently popular songs and their dances like the dab. The members took a more modern spin on the ‘90s, wearing track jackets and black pants as their outfits for this section.
As a surprise to the audience, Transcendance ended the night in true family reunion fashion bringing back alumni to join them on stage in one final performance.
The two founders of the organization, Nicole Spinelli and Namibia Williams, were among the alumni on stage. The group danced to Beyoncé’s hit song “Formation.”
To end the night, TranscenDANCE President Alliyah Brown, attempted to hold back tears as she said her farewells to her fellow dancers. She thanked her eboard and dancers for all of their hard work throughout the year. Brown also announced the newest eboard members, including DeVante London as the new president.
“The Family Reunion” incorporated each of Transcendance’s many personalities, creating a well-rounded show. The acts displayed the many different styles of dance and it was clear to see where each member of the group felt most comfortable.