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Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:08 Audience members from across Northwestern and Evanston. We're alerted into Griffin Onyx temptation dance show. This past weekend desire is performance hosted by two of Northwestern's premier dance groups on campus, graffiti dancers and tonic tap. The two performed in their seventh annual grift phonics dance show marketing. The first in-person show of the year for both groups, the performance utilized music from all genres ranging from hip hop, musicians, mustard, and Migos To the more romantic beat of Samsung,
Speaker 2 00:00:43 Um,
Speaker 1 00:00:52 Tonic tap group focuses on a wide range of music. According to Hannah Gonzalez, one of ton of taps, artistic directors,
Speaker 3 00:01:00 Everywhere from like tessellated and like these crazy hip hop beats to, um, like Joni Mitchell, I think was pitched a couple of years ago. We've had beach boys songs, um, melts was in this show. I'm thinking of just all the other, like as a very, very wide range. And I think the, with the more new members that we keep bringing in the more different backgrounds, I liked dance backgrounds, all of these people have the more diversified it becomes.
Speaker 1 00:01:27 Graffiti dancers also fit in well with tonic and that they have a somewhat broad range of music as well. And their lineups, according to tonic tap member and graffiti dancers, artistic director, Cheryl,
Speaker 3 00:01:40 I would say it's also a range, but maybe less, a more narrow range and tonic. Um, we, there are a lot of, we have mostly different types of styles of contemporary and jazz, and also like heels, like, like some fun pieces and these equal theater pieces. Um, but it ranges anywhere from like slow, like sad boys songs to like throwback jazzy songs. Like we had a, um, love shack.
Speaker 1 00:02:13 This weekend's performances were a long time coming for audience members who hadn't seen either group or form in person since the start of the pandemic. According to graffiti artistic director, Maddie banish dancers from both graffiti and tonic tap were excited to express themselves on stage. Again,
Speaker 3 00:02:31 The station was a really exciting show because as artistic director, but also as a junior, I had only ever done one show with graffiti given how COVID kind of changed the trajectory of all of our college experiences. So I think there was a lot of excitement, a lot of nerves, and just a lot of, um, like there was so much bottled up creativity that people are were finally able to set on their dancers. So I think, um, I wouldn't say expectations are really high, but I think it was just such an awesome place for people to finally come back and get to set the choreography they'd been thinking about during lockdown and during the at-home period
Speaker 1 00:03:18 And the creativity that Benish alludes to is mostly channeled into more central pieces, such as need to know about dojo, cats
Speaker 1 00:03:31 And all my girls like to fight. I hope tallow, Both graffiti dancers and tonics tap have auditions at the beginning of fall quarter, according to , this is also in planning for growth, phonic begins, choreographers pitch songs, and choreography associated with it. And members of the two groups vote on what pieces they would like and which ones they would like to be in. After that Gonzalo said, practices begin,
Speaker 3 00:04:04 Start with small group rehearsals for about an hour each week, as well as our company rehearsals on Sundays. And, um, so pretty much from, I think we got started around week three. So from week three on, um, through about reading week of fall quarter, we each, uh, group was meeting about once a week. Um, and we were meeting uncomfort for company every Sunday. Um, and then overwhelmness, uh, the wellness period when we returned, um, after we moved our show, I don't think anybody in tonic actually held museum rehearsals. Um, we kind of were just posting breakdown videos and, um, making sure that all the members were up to speed and then pieces got finished up, um, in the last couple of weeks before the show. And then this last week was our tech week process. So definitely sense that the early weeks of fall quarter, for sure.
Speaker 1 00:04:54 And luckily this process is awarded by funds, collected from audience members who each paid $5 for admission, if students and $10, if members of the general public to see the show, those numbers added up to account for various costs associated with tech week, whether that be lighting or stage management, according to Kirsch.
Speaker 3 00:05:15 Yeah, we set it up so that, um, like each group was paying for different things. So graffiti paid for lighting designer, tonic paid for videographer. Then we have other expenses throughout the tech week, like buying snacks and stuff. So I'm actually like I collected all the funds and then we're going to split it evenly. Like after deducting all those costs that we put in temptation,
Speaker 1 00:05:39 It was composed of four performances, two at seven 30 and two at 10 on Friday and Saturday nights at the ballroom in the word center for performing arts and the audience members. Well, they felt pretty enthusiastic about the performances themselves.
Speaker 3 00:06:00 Um, and I think I really like, it's a small space, but doing it in the ballroom. I think it's exciting that an audience who probably didn't come knowing everyone can kind of feed off each other's energy,
Speaker 1 00:06:16 That temptation is done. Graffiti and tonic tab are looking forward to their next venture for Gonzales. The end of this nearly five month long journey has resulted in a whirlwind of emotions.
Speaker 3 00:06:27 I just can't believe that we pulled this off and I'm feeling pretty tired, but I'm feeling good. Um, and ready to start preparations for the next one
Speaker 1 00:06:42 From Evanston or whichever city you're in. This is Iris Swarthout. WNU news.
Speaker 4 00:06:49 Yeah.
