Dance fans kicked it at “IFD Fantasy,” the International Flag Dancers’ 12th-annual spring showcase, in the Anderson Center Sunday. The program promised a “dream sequence,” with dances covering a wide array of styles, including hip hop, jazz, contemporary, ballet, lyrical and tap. But if you were expecting flags, keep dreaming. The name refers to their worldliness, but what the dancers lacked in flags they made up for in swag.
IFD put on a variety show for the 100 fans, family and friends in attendance. They invited Hula Hoop Club and Tap That to perform, and a member serving as host only added to the atmosphere. Usually IFD performs at community and school events throughout the semester, so this banquet was their chance to show off dances that they couldn’t otherwise.
Chelsea Lucas, president of IFD and a junior majoring in history, choreographed two dances herself.
“Overall I could not be any more proud of my team,” she said. “They are all so hardworking and while we come together to dance we have really become a tight-knit family. IFD is just so special because of our diverse backgrounds, dance styles and the strong bond we form as dancers and as friends.”
An immense amount of work went into this show. All the dances were choreographed by members of the team, and each member performed in several dances.
One of the dances, “The Thrifty Shopper,” choreographed by Natalie Teboul, secretary of IFD and a junior majoring in human development, received a strong response. Teboul, who was “obsessed with Macklemore’s new album when it came out,” knew she wanted to choreograph something by the rapper.
“’Thrift Shop’ had been a little over played so I didn’t think much about using it, but then I realized that there was nothing better for me to use since I love thrift shopping anyways, and the back beats were perfect to put together counter beats!” Teboul said.
Teboul describes the process as nothing but fun. With a mixture of tap dancing and hip hop, dancers playing drums on garbage cans in the background, a saxophonist on the corner of the stage and costumes that were as random and colorful as a thrift shop, Teboul’s piece was definitely one of the highlights of the show, although it’s hard to chose a single one in a night full of them.