“Breaking Boundaries” is the annual concert choreographed and performed by students that showcases their creativity and discipline through dance.
Among the many choreographers and dancers featured in the concert are Mileigh Nelson and Talia Castellanos, who each bring two distinct styles to the stage. Nelson will showcase a pom piece combining elements of cheer, hip-hop and jazz, while Castellanos will take the stage with a fusion of modern, jazz and Latin dance.
Nelson said she was inspired by the UDA National Dance Competition for her piece, which showcases high-energy, precise technical movements. With a background in high school pom, she said she always wanted to choreograph the style.
Using her trained jazz skills, she combines many technical elements in her pom dance, including “really sharp movements, quick jumps, fast turns,…super sharp arms,” while also incorporating occasional fluid movements —a signature of the pom style, according to Nelson.
Castellanos was introduced to dance through salsa at Majesty in Motion Dance Studio in San Diego. There, she acquired many skills by participating in classes and dance teams, while also assisting with teaching and directing.
This background in Latin dance is highlighted in her piece; however, it is not the focal point.
Castellanos said she was drawn to modern as the main style for her piece after taking a class at Grossmont. She said she felt modern would be able to convey deeper emotion, as using it communicates the theme of “conforming” to societal expectations and the idea that it is possible to break free.
“Maybe some of us do break out, but then we always find a way back to these patterns that we’ve created as a society,” Castellanos said.
While the two choreographers have differing inspirations and backgrounds, they share a similar approach to beginning their choreography process through musicality.
Nelson said she listened to her piece’s song on repeat until every little detail of the music was ingrained into her brain so she could visualize her choreography and write notes anywhere. “For this piece, I just had to almost hallucinate my ideas,” she said.
Similarly, Castellanos said she begins her choreography by listening to the song. “I have a lot of musicality in my choreography, and I usually will listen to the song a lot, until I can actually find a time where I can like dance to it,” she said.
Castellanos added that when conveying emotion or choosing a theme, journaling helps her decide precisely what she wants to say in her piece, “and maybe find ways within my body to say it too.”
As Nelson moved through rehearsals and taught her choreography, she said it became a collaborative effort in interpreting her notes, with her team of dancers sharing the floor with her. “They put up with all my crazy ideas,” she said.
Nelson said she carries a more direct teaching style, knowing what she wants and how she wants it. However, she added that she tries to mix a part of her process with the dancer’s process.
She described her direct teaching style as “loud,” using sounds instead of counts while rehearsing, which she said she hopes encourages her dancers to enjoy the process, whether they are in the playful or serious part of rehearsals.
Lexie Alva, a Grossmont student and dancer with Nelson, said Nelson brings a lot of energy to rehearsals and “gets everyone pumped up.”
During the summer, Castellanos said she worked on a version of this dance with friends, which provided a foundation for the finished dance she will showcase at the concert, allowing her more time to play with different choreography.
Now, she said, “we’re just cleaning it, running it, feeling comfortable doing it, without the mirror.”
Castellanos noted her love for planning each rehearsal and teaching her choreography and intention to the dancers. She added that she feels “very lucky” to be working with her group of dancers.
“They’re ready to learn all the time, and they’re super positive,” Castellanos said. “I feel like I’ve been learning from them as well.”
Nelson said the biggest challenge she faced was maintaining her momentum throughout the week planning choreography, and in that process, not repeating her choreography while still preserving the overall theme.
“Once you just start choreography, even if you don’t like it, just keep going, and then it slowly evolves and gets better,” Nelson said.
During the process of choreographing and teaching, Nelson said she learned she can come up with choreography spontaneously, and she loves working with big groups of people because it gives her the space to share her expertise and skills with other dancers. She said she also doesn’t feel the need to enforce rules like a “drill sergeant” because her dancers are responsible and self-sufficient.
Castellanos said she has faced an internal battle to feel satisfied with her choreography, but added she has had support through the entire process, from her dancers and from Gina Sorensen, her modern dance teacher and co-chair of the dance department.
“I feel so supported by in terms of expressing any creative concerns, and she just provides a lot of helpful feedback that keeps me going,” Castellanos said.
Both Nelson and Castellanos said they see a future for themselves in dance and choreography.
“I definitely want to keep dancing in any capacity. I love it,” said Nelson, who is on track to graduate in the spring and said she would love to join a dance company in the future.
Nelson said her experience with choreographing a dance at Grosmont has prepared her for a future in choreography. “Now I have more confidence in myself that I’m not gonna create something that I hate,” she said.
Castellanos, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in dance and choreography, said she would like to teach in any collegiate setting. She said this experience has prepared her for her future in dance by helping her come out of her shell and interact with a large group of dancers. She said this confidence grew from experience problem-solving in front of her dancers and taking charge without nerves overwhelming her.
“The whole process of it and the people that are involved have made it so that I can feel dedicated, can feel like I want to show up,” Castellanos said.
The Breaking Boundaries concert has provided students like Nelson and Castellanos an opportunity to showcase their dedication to learning and growing, as dancers, choreographers and individuals, while also offering a space to creatively express themselves.
See Breaking Boundaries, Nov. 20-22 at 7:30 p.m. in the PVAC. Tickets are available at gcccd.universitytickets.com or at the door the day of the show.
