The lights in Goldstein Auditorium faded to black, and the audience quieted down. Suddenly, a voice screamed through the speakers,’Let’s get ready to rumble,’ kicking off music artist Jock Jams’ song ‘Let’s Get Ready To Rumble.’ 

‘This is the first dance show I’ve been to at Syracuse, and I’m really excited for it,’ said Allison Paap, a freshman art photography major who attended the show to support girls in her sorority.

The goal of Orange Pulse Dance Troupe’s show, called Jock Jams, was to keep the audience pumped up, and it was carried through by the booming music and the groups’ energetic dance moves.

This year’s show had the biggest turnout Orange Pulse has seen in all eight years of its existence. The group sold 734 tickets, the most it has for any other show.

‘(The sales)definitely far surpassed any of the other years,’ said Ashley Maines, Orange Pulse’s philanthropic chair. The money raised from the ticket sales will go to Wacheva Cultural Arts, a local dance and arts studio.

Before the start of the show, Orange Pulse’s president Mariel Stein walked onstage, prompting the audience to roar. Stein said the dance troupe’s membership, at 125 members, increased more than 50 percent in the past year. This has been the highest number of members since the group’s inception in 2003, Stein said.

A bright white light washed over the stage, and the troupe launched into its first hip-hop routine. Wearing white wife-beaters, black sweatpants and hats, as well as one black wristband, the dancers strutted onto the stage as Ciara’s ‘Like a Boy’ pumped through the speakers.

In addition to the hip-hop routines, Orange Pulse performed several other dances, including contemporary, classical and tap. In their first tap set, the dancers wore green shirts and black pants while toting black umbrellas. The set began with Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella.’ With aclick of the dancers’ shoes, the song transformed into Glee’s cover of ‘Singin’ In the Rain.’ The audience cheered at the dancers’ swift moves and swayed along to the upbeat tempo.

Even at the start of the intermission, the audience’s clapping and cheering continued.

‘I’ve never been to any of her (Jessie Mehlhoff’s) recitals,’ said Amyn Bandali, a senior from Cornell University who came to the show to watch her friend. ‘So far, it’s been great.’

Well into the second half of the show, Nicki Minaj’s ‘Check It Out’ started to play, and the stage lit up once again. Seventeen Orange Pulse dancers lined up onstage sporting black sweatpants and white shirts with a blue plaid button-down shirt tied up in the middle. As they popped and rolled their bodies to the beat, the chorus switched into Pitbull’s ‘Hey Baby.’ Members of the crowd danced in their seats as the Orange Pulse dancers picked up their steps.

Several sets later, the audience grew quiet. Just as the other routines had started with an empty, dark stage, this one did as well, but there was something different. Shadows walked across the stage with chairs and microphones. The lights flashed on, and three men from Wacheva’s drumming program started to drum calmly and steadily.

The thunderous thumps grew stronger and faster. Suddenly, a rush of dancers paraded onto the stage in front of the men. Viewers’ hands went up and cheered to Wacheva’s drumming.

‘I thought Wacheva coming on was great. They were really good, and everyone seemed to really enjoy them, too,’ said Dave Gray, father of Callan, one of the dancers.

After the last routine, the stage went dark, and just as the dancers’ family and friends thought about shuffling out, everyone heard ‘Let’s Get Ready To Rumble’ blast through the speakers one last time. The stage was completely lit, and dancers from the Orange Pulse Dance Troupe came out, hand in hand, and bowed.

‘We came last year, and it was great,’ Gray said. ‘This year, though, there was so much energy. I think this show was even better than last year.’

[email protected]

Published on April 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm