From pirouettes to skillful leaps, the dance show this year is a spectacle that many Webb students found themselves watching on the weekend of February 1st. Webb’s annual winter dance show has been a tradition ingrained into the Webb student experience since its first debut in 2014. This year’s performance, “Frames Framed,” explored the conversations between the paintings “O, Romeo, Romeo Wherefore Art Thou Romeo?,” “The Remorse of Judas,” and “The Lament for Icarus.” 

“I imagined the three paintings hung on the same gallery wall. And I wondered, what would a conversation between them look like? What would they have to say for themselves? What would they have to say to each other, about each other, for each other? And especially on the brink of what was to become World War I,” said Michael Szanyi, head of the Webb dance program.  

Mr. Szanyni’s visions for the paintings reshaped the definition of dance by incorporating technology and audience participation to further develop the story. Near the end of the show, the audience was made to shift their gaze upwards, where the screen displayed pre-recorded dance scenes set outside the chapel.

It also involved a theatrical flare. Some of the dancers served the role of actors. The speeches mentioned morals and stories that helped move the show along and made the audience reflect. Even Mr. Szanyi ended up participating by reading a poem. 

These various methods made some audience members feel emotional and leave the theater with a jumble of questions to ponder.

“The dance show was great. I left feeling sad, but in a good way,” Maria Duan (‘23) said. 

“I thought the dance show was touching and powerful. Especially when the sign of the times came on, it was a very emotional moment when the disco ball went around, a lot of my friends cried,” Xander Kong (‘22) said.

“I thought the dance show was great. The frames showed how much expression we include and we don’t include. And I think that the paintings on the doors, since they were illuminated, showed you the things that people were hiding behind and I thought that showed inner feelings,” Colin Kidwell (‘20) said.

The dance show this year has truly managed to impact the Webb community.