The performance, which combined classical sounds with modern percussion, was divided into several sections. The first was a Star Wars orchestral suite, featuring the “Main Title,” “Princess Leia’s Theme,” “The Imperial March” (Darth Vader’s theme), “Yoda’s Theme” and “The Throne Room and End Title.” The next was an original arrangement of the main themes from “My Neighbor Totoro” and “The Wind Rises.” This was followed by “The Dpops Wiirangement,” which included popular “Wii Sports” and “Super Smash Bros: Brawl” sounds. Finally, the group performed “Badtameez Dil” from Bollywood film “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.” 

“I started conducting with DPops my sophomore year … it’s opened up so many other musical opportunities and doors since then,” said Maggie Schnyer ’24, a conductor.

According to Helen Zhou ’25, who currently serves as a co-president of the organization, what makes DPops unique is the sense of community that it aims to cultivate.

She emphasized the importance of balancing fun with “high-quality musicianship.” Eric Gan ’25, the club’s other co-president, said, “We have enough enthusiasm from just our members to arrange all the stuff that we do.”

Community-building extends beyond the rehearsal room, with DPops hosting additional social events, board dinners, movie nights, game nights and post-concert after parties. 

This specific concert was open to both members of the Yale community and New Haven residents. Gan reflected on some of the challenges faced, which included communication with local schools.

The performance also included non-traditional elements to appeal to the younger audience members in the crowd. During the “Wiirangement,” there was a projection screen behind the musicians that took the audience through various pre-recorded gameplays to simulate the Nintendo theme. At the end of the performance, children were invited to go onto the Woolsey Hall stage to get a glimpse of the performers’ perspective. Additionally, while presenting the Star Wars theme, conductor Mitchell Dubin ’25 walked in with a lightsaber, engaging in an “altercation” with conductor Eli Gilbert ’24 until Gilbert fell to the ground. Dubin then took over, continuing the symphony.

According to Gan and Zhou, DPops hopes to continue the tradition of performing at Woolsey Hall. Last year marked their first concert there since the “late 2000s [or] early 2010s,” Zhou said.

In the middle of the performance, Gan and Zhou stepped out to give credits to the various individuals and groups that made the performance possible, while also highlighting the importance of music education and community engagement.

Inside the Schwarzman Center, Woolsey Hall is located at 500 College St.

The sounds of the student-run Davenport Pops Orchestra echoed through Woolsey Hall on Feb. 24 for the group’s third concert of the year, “In a Galaxy Far, Far Away.”

The performance, which combined classical sounds with modern percussion, was divided into several sections. The first was a Star Wars orchestral suite, featuring the “Main Title,” “Princess Leia’s Theme,” “The Imperial March” (Darth Vader’s theme), “Yoda’s Theme” and “The Throne Room and End Title.” The next was an original arrangement of the main themes from “My Neighbor Totoro” and “The Wind Rises.” This was followed by “The Dpops Wiirangement,” which included popular “Wii Sports” and “Super Smash Bros: Brawl” sounds. Finally, the group performed “Badtameez Dil” from Bollywood film “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.” 

“I started conducting with DPops my sophomore year … it’s opened up so many other musical opportunities and doors since then,” said Maggie Schnyer ’24, a conductor.

According to Helen Zhou ’25, who currently serves as a co-president of the organization, what makes DPops unique is the sense of community that it aims to cultivate.

She emphasized the importance of balancing fun with “high-quality musicianship.” Eric Gan ’25, the club’s other co-president, said, “We have enough enthusiasm from just our members to arrange all the stuff that we do.”

Community-building extends beyond the rehearsal room, with DPops hosting additional social events, board dinners, movie nights, game nights and post-concert after parties. 

This specific concert was open to both members of the Yale community and New Haven residents. Gan reflected on some of the challenges faced, which included communication with local schools.

The performance also included non-traditional elements to appeal to the younger audience members in the crowd. During the “Wiirangement,” there was a projection screen behind the musicians that took the audience through various pre-recorded gameplays to simulate the Nintendo theme. At the end of the performance, children were invited to go onto the Woolsey Hall stage to get a glimpse of the performers’ perspective. Additionally, while presenting the Star Wars theme, conductor Mitchell Dubin ’25 walked in with a lightsaber, engaging in an “altercation” with conductor Eli Gilbert ’24 until Gilbert fell to the ground. Dubin then took over, continuing the symphony.

According to Gan and Zhou, DPops hopes to continue the tradition of performing at Woolsey Hall. Last year marked their first concert there since the “late 2000s [or] early 2010s,” Zhou said.

In the middle of the performance, Gan and Zhou stepped out to give credits to the various individuals and groups that made the performance possible, while also highlighting the importance of music education and community engagement.

Inside the Schwarzman Center, Woolsey Hall is located at 500 College St.

The post DPops at Woolsey: A symphony of Studio Ghibli, Bollywood, Star Wars and Nintendo appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Set somewhere in America, Dance Nation follows the stories of a group of competitive dancers as they navigate growing up and self discovery. This army of pre-teens aims to take over the world, clawing their way to victory at the national competition in Tampa Bay. Wild, gritty and raw, Dance Nation will be performed Thursday, Feb. 22 through Saturday, Feb. 24.

“I chose Dance Nation because I feel like right now, there’s a lot of talk about femininity and what it means to be women,” said director Katya Agrawal ’27. “It introduces this gritty element to womanhood, and it really does highlight themes that I think are sometimes hard to talk about.” 

The show has been in rehearsal since November, and the process has been a rigorous one. 

At the beginning of the rehearsal process, Agrawal sent out a director’s note, elucidating a clear vision for the emotions that the play should evoke through choreography and styling. 

“Our director and assistant director talked a lot about going through and finding motivations behind every line,” said Ella Brenes ’27, who plays Maeve. “We reflected on our pre-teen years, and looked back at old pictures of ourselves to find similarities and immerse ourselves in the character.” 

The stage is set up as an incomplete dance studio and isn’t insulated from reality. As a “ghost play,” the actors weave in and out of their realities, traversing space and time and reflecting on their childhoods from an adult point of view, Agrawal said. 

In many ways, the characters in Dance Nation are exaggerated, collective reflections of the youth of those portraying them. From chanting “I wish my soul were as perfect as my pussy,” to dancing to a song called “Baby Sexy Robots” and discussing menstruation, Dance Nation is a visceral yet tender exploration of girlhood. 

Nneka Moweta ’27, the play’s choreographer, discussed the importance of dance in the self expression of the characters.

“I feel like it’s limiting to pinpoint a specific dance genre to Dance Nation as a whole,” she said. “It’s a very vulnerable piece of dramatic work, and so I really tapped into a lot of contemporary jazz and modern styles with some Hip Hop influence in there as well to really show a kind of rawness.” 

The production did not come without its fair share of challenges. 

Almost two dances in, Dance Nation was unable to secure the rights to the choreographed songs during the winter break. With immense collaboration and support, the students found new tracks, secured rights and reworked choreography, all within the first month of being back for the Spring semester.

“It’s a very out of the box show,” said Elizabeth Swaine ’27, who portrays Ashlee. “I think that it really brought the cast together, just doing a script that’s so wild, where we have to really push ourselves.”

Agrawal said she believes that the intended audience of the play, Yale students, are those that feel the loosening grip of childhood, yet not the firm embrace of adulthood. Earnest, exuberant and ecstatic, Dance Nation cuts to the bone, speaking to the indelible marks of youth on maturity.

The play “Dance Nation” was written by Clare Barron in 2018. 

The post ‘Dance Nation,’ a tale of girlhood, growth and grit premieres this week appeared first on Yale Daily News.