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Headline: Dance group put on their dancing shoes
Layercake: Spring showcase Saturday at Wright Hall
By JACKSON YAN
Aggie Staff Writer
It is not Carrie Bradshaw’s closet, but the Sex and the City character would approve of the members of 3D “Diverse Dance Dimensions” and their variety of shoes. Not only are there shoes for tap and jazz numbers – but there are also Pointe shoes and Chucks for their ballet and hip-hop routines.
For the 3D spring showcase “Come So Far,” they will even go without shoes. The spring showcase will be held at Wright Hall on Saturday at 8 p.m. Admission is $8 for students and $10 for non-students. Tickets can be purchased at the Freeborn Hall ticket office.
3D is a 12-member all-girls dance group founded by senior sociology major Tiffany Ferry and senior human development major Megan Forcum. The two, who have been friends since their days in El Cerrito High School in Richmond, started 3D as first-year students in 2005. As first-years, they wanted something different from what was offered at UC Davis.
“I took a class here and was not enjoying the experience,” Forcum said. “It was a completely different style of dance. We are used to choreographing [our routines.]”
The pair choreographs the majority of the routines for the dance group. Usually, the genesis of each idea forms in their two-bedroom apartment. They will turn on music and begin to attach body movements to each beat.
“It is a lot of work,” Ferry said. “We begin by picking a song. We’ll mess around, do a movement and collaborate.”
As their group names implies, members of the group are diverse in their disciplines. They are versed in different genres of dance including jazz, tap, ballet, salsa and hip-hop.
However, there is a distinct Bay Area flavor to their dance – or as Ferry said, a “Yay Area” style. Ferry was initially trained as a jazz dancer, while Forcum practiced in salsa. As they were growing up in Richmond, they began to immerse themselves in Bay Area hip-hop and incorporated their personal backgrounds to the scene.
“We are representing the Bay,” Ferry said. “We are fooling around, acting ghetto, but it’s who we are. We’re hardcore but we are representing the city. We dance grimy – down and dirty.”
Sophomore political science major Liz Perez described her costume as befitting in the emotion of her portion of the performance. Perez and her group will go sans footwear for their ballet piece.
“We like the support of shoes, but it doesn’t show the rawness of the dance [for my routine],” Perez said. “Dancing without shoes is painful, but it helps bring out the emotional side.”
The group has practiced all year for this event, sometimes in less than favorable conditions. Ferry and Forcum said they had to improvise locations for the group to go over routines.
“We have practiced in our two-bedroom apartment,” Ferry said. “One time, we reserved the racquetball room in the ARC. We did not know we were not allowed to [practice] until they kicked us out.”
“We’re hustlers,” Forcum added. “[We’ve practiced in] dorm lounges, sidewalks in front of our apartment.”
As graduating seniors, this will be Ferry and Forcum’s swan song, and they have several surprises in store for their last performance.
“We have been at a point where we go ‘Why continue?'” Forcum said. “But I couldn’t give up the goal. This is our child.”
The 3D dance showcase “Come So Far” will be held Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Freeborn Hall for $8 for students and $10 for non-students. For more information, check the Facebook event.
JACKSON YAN can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.
