The stage was bathed in a golden light as dancers swayed in unison and often landed with their feet planted firmly on the ground, arms uplifted to the ceiling. At Capital Dance Ministry’s debut showcase, titled Genesis, on Friday night, smiling dancers celebrated their Christian faith through a variety of large group and partner dances.
The audience packed into the crowded Murray Function Room to cheer on the recently founded club’s first performance. Co-presidents Jason Tee, MCAS ’22, and Kevin Joo, MCAS ’23, welcomed the crowd and outlined the format of the night’s showcase and the meaning behind the group’s performance.The members use the gifts of dance, known as body worship, to celebrate their love for Christ, Tee said.
Tee shared the history of the dance group, which he founded in the fall of 2020 with Chaeyoon Syin, LSEHD ’23. The Office of Student Involvement approved the group, known as Cap amongst its members, this fall.
“It started as just an idea in Chaeyoon’s mind about bringing a dance team where we can glorify God at BC,” Tee said. “And I’m so excited that we are here standing on this stage today bringing together exactly what that vision was.”
After Joo led the audience in an opening prayer, dancers took their places onstage and kicked off the night with a routine choreographed to “Hold On Me” by Travis Greene. The room was aglow with bright lights, as twinkling lights hung on the wall and warm, yellow spotlights shone on the dancers.
Before the large group performances, a video of the choreographers played and explained the meaning behind each dance. Throughout the event, individual members of the group also stepped onstage to give testimonials in which they shared how God has influenced their lives.
Pauline Chang, CSOM ’25, delivered the first testimonial and talked about how, after attending her first Cap practice, she was inspired by the energy and encouragement of all the group members.
A pair of dancers took the stage along with the sound of the heavy bass beat of “Wild (Hotel Sessions)” by Local Sound. The dancers showed off their tight hip hop moves. In the final moments, they turned toward the back of the stage and posed with their hands pointing to the ceiling.
In another group performance, dancers wore coordinating jean jackets and showed off their smooth moves to the slower track “Higher” by Madison Ryann Ward. In one dramatic moment, dancers crouched on the stage and alternated jumping up so that they popped up above the heads of the audience.
During a pause in the night’s dance routines, the group announced the winners of a raffle contest that raised money for the charity El Amor del Señor, an organization that travels to Mexico to conduct missionary work.
After an intermission, one performance began with a skit, as two dancers pretended to run into each other at the gym. When one dancer acted out sending a playlist to the other, the music came in with a bass drop and an assembly of dancers performed to a medley of worship songs.
The audience met each routine with a burst of applause, and Cap dancers who were waiting for their cues offstage yelled out words of encouragement to their peers.
To finish off the night, all of the members gathered for a full group performance—a piece titled “Lost and Found.” Pairs of dancers broke from their opening stances, dancing between the stoic forms of other members.
The song crescendoed as all the members walked toward the front of the stage, reaching their arms out to each other and to the audience. The dancers ended with their arms uplifted, and a moment of silence fell over the members of the crowd before they offered their resounding applause.
Tee and Joo thanked the audience for attending their first show. Tee, a senior, expressed his gratitude for his time in Cap and his excitement in seeing the performance come together.
“Seeing it all come together brought joy to my heart and soul,” Tee said.
Update 4/26/2022 5:30 P.M.: This article was changed to state that Pauline Chang delivered the first testimony and not Vanessa Yu, as was previously written.
