Laurie Auditorium was filled with music, cheers and nonstop dancing on April 25 and April 26. The yearly schoolwide Momentum performance showcased Trinity’s dance clubs: Prowlers, Loon-E Crew, Swing Bums, Rayas Tlahuitl, Top Naach and individual dancers with styles including tap, jazz and lyrical.
This year, the club decided on a circus theme. Emcees Steph Machado-Peña*, junior environmental studies major, and Faith Olabanji**, sophomore theater, political science and marketing triple-major, were clowning in between performances. The pair cracked on-theme jokes, and at one point, Machado-Peña did the worm across the stage. There were circus-themed dances, such as a rendition of Britney Spears’ “Circus,” a circus-themed Kahoot! and free snow cones after the performance.
Backstage during the show was anything but relaxing, according to Julian Perez, junior engineering science major, who performed with the Swing Bums, a social dance club of Trinity.
“Everyone was kind of stressed and antsy backstage, but it ended way better than I anticipated,” Perez said. After I felt way more excited, I was like, ‘I want to go back up there again.’ I had a really good time.”
Emily Fisher, senior English and history double-major, is president of the Momentum club and captain of the Prowlers dance team. She choreographed and performed her last performance at Trinity.
“I’m really sad, because after this, this is it for me, but I’m also really excited, because it is my last big performance,” Fisher said.
Layla Amador, junior marketing major, attended the event to support their friend Bernice Thongdara dancing with Loon-E. They were impressed by Loon-E’s mash-up of “Alter Ego” by Doechii and “Sticky” by Tyler, The Creator, as well as the Rayas Tlahuitl folklórico dance club’s routine inspired by rodeo clowns.
“I thought the show was super cute. I didn’t really know what to expect, because I hadn’t been to a Momentum before, but I had a lot of fun,” Amador said. “I thought all of the dance performers were so awesome.”
Gemma Prince, senior psychology major and vice president of Swing Bums, the social dance club of Trinity, commented on the size of the show.
“It’s been really fun to dance every year and see how the event has grown. And it has grown this year, massively,” Prince said. “For starters, Swing Bums have a beginner and an advanced dance, and the advanced dance is just my president and I, my friend Catherine [Shaffer]. It’s been incredible seeing how other groups have grown as well.”
According to Lauren Hurley, ‘24, the show became a lot more diverse over the years. She found out about the event over Instagram, and when she attended, she said she was impressed with Momentum’s growth since she graduated.
“I feel like when I saw it, there were a lot of Prowlers and Loon-E, and now there’s the different groups — Swing Bums, Top Naach, that all have dances as well,“ Hurley said.
Although Momentum is an annual event, the lead-up to the show came with a twist when the Momentum dance club was formed. According to its founders, which includes dancers from various troupes on campus, the aim of the club is to make the planning process smoother and more organized for the end-of-year recital. As an official club, they were also able to fully fund the event without dipping into the Prowlers’ funds, as they have in the past.
Both nights were a little different, as the final choir concert resulted in some dancers only performing on the second night. With the support from the formation of the club and the growing number of acts, the show seems to be gaining more momentum, with no signs of stopping.
*Machado-Peña and the author of this piece, Mary Katherine Schmidt, are both members of Alpha Chi Lambda.
**Faith Olabanji is a reporter at the Trinitonian.
