It was a full house at Weasler Auditorium on March 27. At 7:30 p.m., the room went dark, the audience cheered and the Marquette Pure Dance Team swept across the stage as “So Long, London” by Taylor Swift played, marking the start of the dance team’s spring show.
As you entered the auditorium, Polaroid photos of the dancers greeted audience members, each one connected by strands of yarn that wove throughout the hall. On a desk lay the show’s programs, while the title “Memories” — the show’s theme — hung on the wall in blue and gold letters. Pure’s Publicity Coordinator Olive Weber, a sophomore in the College of Communication, explained how the theme was chosen.
“Each choreographer got to pick their own song, then based on the songs they chose, we went and found an overall consistent theme,” Weber said.
Following the opening number, Co-Presidents Avril Beesley, a senior in the College of Communication, and Ally Weast, a senior in the College of Nursing, took the stage and introduced the show.
“This show is all about our memories as a team and how prevalent dance has been in all of our lives,” Weast said. “Many of the seniors have been dancing for almost 19 years, and this is the perfect way to end this journey.”
34 dancers took the stage on Friday night and performed to 10 different songs. One dance included all 34 members, while others had as few as eight.
The team faced several setbacks while preparing for their spring show, including issues with the rehearsal space, an earlier performance date and budgeting challenges. However, the audience wouldn’t have been able to tell from the performance. Pure’s social chair and senior in the College of Communication, Mariah Olson, spoke of the team’s effort in preparing for the showcase.
“All the dances are so challenging, and we are doing really good with them,” Olson said. “I’m proud of all the work we put into [the show].”
The team performed an array of lyrical, jazz and contemporary numbers. Dancers were adorned in eye-catching costumes that alternated for each song. Each dance was compelling in its own right, and watching these talented girls leap, bend and sway together in simultaneity was engrossing.
Olson explained that Pure’s dancers did not undergo a formal audition process for the show. Instead, dancers were selected to perform in pieces that fit their schedules and aligned with the choreographer’s vision— the dances with solos were assigned to members whose had a skillset that suited the part.
After the speeches came another two dances to “Haunted” by Beyoncé and “Certain Kind of Love” by Jessie Murph. HYPE Marquette then took the stage for a guest performance and danced to a short — but electric — hip-hop mashup before Pure reclaimed the stage to dance to “Maps” by Maroon 5.
Intermission came after a speech from Pure Treasurer Kaitlyn Chervenka, a junior in the College of Business Administration, who detailed the financial struggles the team has been facing. During the intermission, the dancers came out to greet their friends and family and gathered donations for their 2026 fall show.
The show took off again as the lights came on to the starting notes of “Oh My God” by Adele. Some dancers leaped across the stage and dropped to the floor as other dancers moved in and out in synchronized waves across the stage, creating a captivating resumption to the show.
They then transitioned to a more serene dance, “What Happened to Your Heart” by Bing & Ruth and Peter Broderick. The dancers fluttered across the stage to this emotional ballad as their costumes glistened in the stage light.
The next guest performance arrived as the Marquette Naturals took the stage to much applause. The group sang an a cappella rendition of “Jessie” by Joshua Kadison and “Call Me When You’re Sober” by Evanescence. The Pure dancers then rejoined the stage for their final dances.
First, an airy performance to “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish, and then they exploded with energy as they danced to “Memories“ by Conan Gray and “Blank White Pages“ by Mumford & Sons — both highlights of the show.
Finally, the lights dimmed once more as the dancers took the stage, and a screen descended in front of the curtain. A video tribute to the senior dancers played, featuring childhood photos and backstage footage set to “Where’d All the Time Go?” by Dr. Dog and “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King. The show concluded fittingly with a tender seniors-only dance set to “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap, making for an emotional end for the night.
“I am feeling a little bit emotional when I think about my dance journey coming to an end,” said Weast. “But I really couldn’t imagine being surrounded by a better team.”
As the curtains fell, the dancers came racing back on stage once again, with hands interlocked as they took their final bow.
“I am so proud of all these dances and all our dancers who have worked so hard,” Weast said. “They have made being president as a senior so rewarding. I [am so proud] of what we’ve been working on and have so much fun along the way.”
This article was written by Allison Scherquist. She can be contacted at [email protected].
