UVU Mosaic stuns crowd through performance of a dream

UVU’s Mosaic danced to the rhythms and beats of hip hop music March 29 at the Ragan Theater. The “It Was All a Dream” show lit up the stage with a variety of numbers, each with their unique touches that made them stand out.

The hip hop team’s name Mosaic is an acronym that stands for “most artistic inspired creators” — a tribute not to how they see themselves, but to what they strive to be. They rose to meet this goal in their “It Was All a Dream” concert that took audiences to various funny and creative performances all tied together as one big dream.

They proved their creativity in numbers like “Get Jiggy with It,” which was inspired by the popular movie “It.” Dancers carried the signature red balloons from the Stephen King production down the stairs, creating an eerie atmosphere that lead up to the performance.

The piece “Somewhere in Brooklyn”  also reflected creative inspiration, taking the audience through the funny tale of the character Ray reminiscing to his friends about a beautiful girl he saw, and who he finds again and tries to win at the end.

“They had a lot of really cool concepts out there. … All the pieces were great. All the dancers put a lot of work into it, and you could tell that they knew what they were doing,” said modern dance junior Jam Martinez.

The performance featured UVU’s hip hop company and guest performers. There was something for everyone, as there were touches of other dance forms as well.

The dance by the guest group “Fuse” included ballroom cha cha choreography set to upbeat music, and the piece by OneTwoStep and UVU hip hop 3 class started off with energetic tap dancing.

Mosaic member Duncan Osborn said some of the dances featured in the show were being practiced back in August. Some numbers were made for half-time shows during sporting events.

Once January hit, Mosaic began working on other performances and brought in guest choreographers; they had two eight hour rehearsals the week of the show to finalize staging, lights and finish up details to work toward a perfect showcase.

Derek Vanadrighem, UVU alumni and choreographer of the guest performing group “Fuse,” explained the process that went behind creating his piece.

“We practiced a lot. … I listened to the song upwards of 400 times just to get the choreography down. Then, I had to schedule times with the other dancers to teach them choreography and set up practices,” said Vanadrighem.