This semester, get ready to take a walk on the wild side with our first choreograper! In her 4th year with Dance Ensemble, choreographer Deb Akinwunmi is inviting the audience to join her and her dancers in the jungle. Deb’s hope is that the dance, a mix of African dancing and traditional hip hop, will bring a whole lot of fun (and a little bit of sass) to this spring’s MCDE showcase.
When asked where she found the inspiration for this dance, Deb pointed me toward Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo (aka Nappytabs), a choreographer duo from the hit show So You Think You Can Dance. Their fun, high-energy moves appealed to the equally fun and high-energy Deb, and she knew she wanted to do her own take on the song “Circle of Life” by District 78 for her final MCDE piece.
Deb came to Marist having had no formal or structured dance training, and for 4 years now has been a part of the Dance Ensemble. When she’s not dancing, the choreographer fills her time with other activities, such as being president of Student Government Association and her position as a Resident Assistant.
Surprisingly, the hardest part of choreographing for Deb is not the hectic schedule, though (Hell Week anyone?). For Deb, the challenge is remembering to be consistent with the choreography that she teaches every week. “Sometimes I forget what I wanted to teach!” laughs Deb. “But it always comes back to me.”
The most rewarding part of choreographing, as well as being in the Dance Ensemble, is seeing everyone have fun. “I’m not concerned about how it looks in the end,” Deb stated, “as long as they’re having fun doing it!”
Keep an eye out at this semester’s show for Deb Akinwunmi as she and her dancers bring the fun and wildness of the jungle to the MCDE stage!
Article and photographs by Samantha Blau
MCDE Behind the Curtain 