Resonance.
“The concept of what’s in the past still stays with us,” Dance Teacher Ms. Yvette Luxenberg explained. “It resonates—because so many of them are still grieving for Ms. Cory, so I know they want to keep her in their minds.”
“Looking to the past…and then also looking to the future—carrying on Ms. Cory’s legacy and the legacy of PDG,” PDG member Sabrina Li (‘24) put it.
“Looking back to move forward,” PDG member Mira Singh (‘25) explained.
Resonance, the name of the upcoming PDG show running from March 20th-22nd, brings together what Performing Dance Group (PDG) has been grappling with and thinking about as they’ve created their performance: thoughtfully pondering the past and using it to move towards the future. The show features four pieces of alumni choreography by Kai Mateo (‘13), Alexandra “Alex” Kristic (‘15), Gabe Garon (‘17), and Amea Wadsworth (‘19), as well as student choreography. 23
“They’re making their own choreography [and] a lot of it is movements that they learned from [Ms. Cory],” Ms. Lux explained. “So there’s a resonance of the past, even as they move forward, making their own new work, which is really special.” Mira similarly mentioned,“I was really able to kind of look back to what I learned in PDG over the years, what I learned in my life over the years, what Ms. Cory taught me, and incorporated that into my movement.”
The theme of resonance also speaks to the alumni choreography. “It’s us connecting back to the past members of PDG, to then kind of move forward with the future. What we are doing now and then what will carry with us into the future,” Mira said.
PDG highly enjoyed working with alumni. Many current PDG members met them during the DC Legacy Project from last fall (performances by past and current Bishop’s dancers to honor Ms Cory’s legacy), and loved getting to work with them. Sabrina loves “Nahum,” the piece that alumna Alex Kristic choreographed. “What’s one more to say? It’s brilliant. She’s a genius. I love it so much.” Mira similarly gushed about the alumni choreography. “I love, I love, I love, I love that the alumni have come,” Mira said. “[They’ve been] teaching us choreography and also just teaching us new things…and us being able to connect with them in ways we haven’t been able to connect with them before. That’s been absolutely amazing.”
As Ms. Lux put it simply, “It was a great way to just keep the legacy going. They were so inspired, they really wanted to learn from these mentors.”
Another characteristic part of this show is its variety. According to Sabrina, “the sheer quantity” of different dance pieces makes Resonance unique compared to the past shows. Ms. Lux choreographed a tap piece that she thinks will be “an exciting moment” in the show. Sabrina and Ella Xing (‘26) choreographed a piece called “Heartless” to Chinese music. There is a hip hop duet called “Vibrate” with Isadora (‘24), and Sanskar Lochab (‘24). There are, of course, many contemporary and lyrical dance pieces throughout the show as well.
Sabrina mentioned that the large variety and amount of pieces made this show “ pretty ambitious.” Mira also said that “we were using every minute that we had in the creative process.” However, they are both happy with what the show has come to be. “There are a lot of really great pieces in the show,” Sabrina said. “Some of my favorite pieces I’ve ever been in.” Mira added, “There’s so many different voices…that you’re able to hear through the different ways of movement and choreography. You can really see every single person in PDG come to light in this show.”
Ultimately, PDG is very proud of all the work they’ve put into this show, and in what it’s become. “We put a lot of work into it—a lot of work that we’re really proud of,” Sabrina said. Mira felt similarly. “I’m just excited for everyone to get to see us and what we’ve, we’ve brought, and just to see all the hard work, dedication, and passion, and then just love that we have for this community and, and for PDG, both past and present,” Mira explained.
