Florida State University School of Dance seniors will share the stage with professional dancers Oct. 6 when Adele Myers and Dancers presents an Opening Nights performance at the Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre.
The program will feature work by FSU School of Dance alumna Myers and dancer and choreographer Cecilia Benitez, with School of Dance seniors performing alongside professional artists.
For senior Madeline Wellman, the opportunity to be on stage with professional dancers is a dream come true.
“I was so excited for this experience and to be able to work with Adele,” Wellman said. “It means the world to me.”
The senior cohort began working with Benitez in late September in preparation for the performance. In just a short time, Benitez said she has been impressed by the students’ curiosity and work ethics.
“The students are incredible. It feels really magical because they’re hungry for knowledge about what the professional field is like,” Benitez said. “They’re extremely hardworking, and I feel like as someone who’s worked with younger generations in dance, you see less and less of that now.”
Benitez is a Miami-based freelance artist who performs with Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, Adele Myers and Dancers, and Syncopate Collective. She also brings her experience as an educator to her work with the FSU students.
“The way Cecilia conducts herself in the room is really inspirational to me because she is so genuine, silly, fun and warm, but she’s still so professional that you really just want to stay focused,” Wellman said. “Cecilia’s energy and her inviting attitude makes it feel like whatever I do is going to be contributing to the whole group, which is such a unique feeling.”
Collaboration is central to Benitez’s approach. Rather than giving students every movement, she has invited them to help shape the work.
“Cecilia took a poem and we started the first day just improvising with this imagery and creating little phrases for ourselves that she’s utilizing,” Wellman said. “So, there also feels like there’s little pieces of each of us in the work.”
Benitez said that creative freedom can be a new experience for dancers accustomed to following a choreographer’s direction.
“The students are like ‘Wait, I get to choose? or I have the creative agency in that way?’” Benitez said. “Maybe they’ve worked together like that in the past, maybe they haven’t, but I can tell for a lot of them they’re like ‘Can I? Can I?’ I’m like ‘Yes. It ends up being a reflection of the people in the room, not just what I want.”
The experience also gives students a closer look at professional dance careers.
In addition to working with Benitez and Adele Myers and Dancers artist and rehearsal assistant Maria Bunt, the cohort participated in a Q&A with Myers on Sept. 29.
Wellman, who plans to pursue a career in contemporary choreography after graduation, said the experience has helped her build professional relationships.
“I really feel like I could reach out to both Cecilia and Maria to be like ‘Hey, what do you think about this job?’ or ‘Do you know anything about this opportunity?’” Wellman said.
As she looks toward graduation, Wellman said she also wants to make the most of her final year at FSU, including the chance to share the Oct. 6 performance with an audience.
“I think it’s such a beautiful opportunity every time a guest artist comes to perform because you really don’t know the limits of what’s out there until you see,” Wellman said. “My family’s coming, so I’m excited to show them what Cecilia has created with our senior cohort.”
Benitez hopes the audience comes away with an appreciation for the individual dancers and how much they have developed during their time at FSU.
“I want people to experience the individual beauty of each student that’s in the program,” Benitez said. “I want the audience to look at these seniorsand see how much they’ve grown, and while their journey is coming to a close look how much they’ve accomplished in their time here.”
Adele Myers and Dancers perform at the Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre Oct. 6 as part of Opening Nights at Florida State University. Tickets are available through Opening Nights.
