One of the things I will definitely miss about Eastern University, once I graduate, is the dance recitals. I’ve been to see almost all of them since I came to this school, and I haven’t gotten tired of them – they are a sight to behold. On Friday night, I went to go support the last wave of Eastern dance majors (all seniors) as they performed on stage the final projects they had been crafting for months in advance. The show was called “Hope Rising.” Now, I’ll be the first person to admit I know nothing about dance or choreography (or coordination), but thankfully that doesn’t matter when I get the privilege of watching my classmates throw their hearts and souls into moving their bodies in the most elegant ways. The audience was also treated to watching video interviews of each senior, in which they discussed the journeys that led to this moment, their funniest memories, and calculating the crazy number of hours they’ve spent in their studio.

The show started with a dance set inspired by water, followed by one that commented on the existence and horrors of human trafficking, and brought to a vivacious finale in a memoir piece detailing the creator’s journey of faith. Each dance used the music and the performers to show off touching and evocative messages, and each one impressed the audience in its own unique way.

Of course, I wasn’t just there to enjoy the show, but also to support a friend who was performing as a supporting dancer in the second piece. I hadn’t known before how well she could dance, and there were moments when she was the star of the stage with her acrobatics and contortions and twists and jumps. After the show, she clued me in on a few moments where she “messed up,” but I doubted anyone in the audience was able to notice during the performance. I certainly hadn’t been any the wiser. I was glad, however, that this band-aid of the opening performance was finally yanked off since it had been hounding her mind and nerves since the start of the year.

The time and effort of all the dancers was worth it, though. I will be going again to watch the final three seniors display their own creations, and I have no doubt they will be just as memorable as the first three. It’s after moments like this that I find it most regrettable that Eastern decided to cut its dance major from the curriculum. I’m sure the school will have other dance performances from its worship dance teams and its Blaze step team, but there’s nothing that can compare to these recitals. I’m very thankful that I got to witness this perfect finale to a long and proud tradition of Eastern’s most passionate performers.