Audience whispers filled up the Davis Performing Arts Center’s Gonda Theatre as the lights dimmed on Feb. 14 and 15. In an 80-minute runtime, a production featuring intertwined bodies, pleas for love, a Sunday church special, and more kept the crowd talking.
This performance was Black Movements Dance Theatre’s (BMDT) spring 2025 showcase, “Eternal Roots.” BMDT aims to express Black American experiences through various genres of dance. Last weekend, the 19-person ensemble performed eight numbers, choreographed by a mix of guest and student choreographers, alongside BMDT’s Artistic Director, Professor Alfreda Davis.
“Eternal Roots” explored connections between humanity and nature through time, telling the story of the Black diaspora.
“We settled on ‘Eternal Roots’ on this idea of unbreakable cord and chain, that not only tells the story of the past, but the present and the future,” Fathia Fasasi (SOH ’27), one of BMDT’s student co-directors, said.
Davis finds importance in letting the company choose the yearly theme.
“Two things I want student leaders to do is determine what they want their legacy to be, so those who are coming behind them can use that as a benchmark, and determine what they want their theme to be, because it’s their voice,” Davis said.
Current political divisions inspired the show’s central theme; the inherent connection amongst humanity. Through “Eternal Roots,” BMDT highlighted shared histories and human feelings of love and pain, finding a common ground despite stark differences.
“I think especially in times like these, where everyone is very connected and very separate, I think we wanted to do a show that was really about how people are related to one another,” Aidan Munroe (CAS ’27), student co-director of BMDT, said.
Disclaimer: Aidan Munroe is a member of the Voice.
For Davis, this theme was easy to get behind.
“This year, I really embraced this theme of ‘Eternal Roots,’ talking about where we’ve come from, how we fit into the larger framework of society, and the struggle, the pain, the triumph, and the successes we encounter parallel to the greater society,” Davis said.
BMDT’s leadership team consists of student co-directors Fasasi and Munroe and assistant student co-directors Rams-Lyne Thomas (CAS ’25) and Jynel Zeitz (MSB ’25), with assistance from Davis. The group began working on “Eternal Roots” last semester.
Students submitted potential pieces of choreography in the fall. Some of these numbers would be featured in the BMDT Fall Showcase, with many carrying on into the spring.
“I think this year we pretty much approved every piece,” Munroe said.
Following fall semester preparation, BMDT had five more weeks to work on “Eternal Roots,” a shorter timeline than in past years.
“This year’s been a little bit more fast,” Fasasi said. “We came back from winter break, and it was just like, go, go, go.”
BMDT accepts performers of all dance backgrounds and experiences, taking roughly ten new members this year. The challenge of blending styles within the short time frame to putting on a full-scale production demanded intense time and energy from everyone involved.
“It’s been hard, it’s hectic,” Ashley Hatch (MSB ’28), a first-year member of BMDT, said. “Hectic, but fun.”
Photo by Izzy Wagener Hatch (fourth from right) and others perform the number “Sisyphus.”Photo by Izzy Wagener
For Hatch, “Eternal Roots” is more than a showcase. It’s been a way to honor her own journey in dance while also honoring the journeys of her ancestors, who have roots in American slavery.
“I think it reminds me of the dancers that came before me, and the ones that come after me, both in the company and in my own family,” Hatch said. “It’s really nice that I can showcase my roots and how they’ve shaped me today.”
Others, like senior-member Zeitz, are reflecting on their past in BMDT.
“It’s been a nice testament of all of the years I’ve put into dance and into this company,” Zeitz said. “It’s nice to finally see it all on stage.”
Like other members of the company, for Zeitz, “Eternal Roots” is bigger than dance. It’s a cultural connector, filled with lessons from the past for the present.
“I would’ve had a very different [Georgetown] experience if I wasn’t part of BMDT,” Zeitz said. “Learning more deeply about the Black experience, not only within the country and its tumultuous times but also on this campus, and being an ally to that community has been so invaluable.”
Zeitz choreographed the show’s second-to-last number, entitled “And Rise.”
Photo by Izzy Wagener. In “And Rise,” dancers express feelings of desire through a modern lens.Photo by Izzy Wagener.
“[And Rise’] is such a great exploration of desire and wanting,” Munroe said. “It’s really technically beautifully performed.”
Another performer favorite, “Echoes of the Soul,” debuted second, choreographed by students Sharon Huang (SFS ’26) and Susan Huang (SOH ’26).
Photo by Izzy Wagener. “Echoes of the Soul,” builds in intensity throughout the number.Photo by Izzy Wagener.
“The twins [Huang and Huang] showed us their vision, at first I was hesitant,” Hatch said. “As it came together, I saw the vision and as it builds, I was like, ‘Wow.’”
Other showstoppers included “Why Don’t You Love Me?” a majorette-inspired Beyoncé number choreographed by Thomas.
Photo by Izzy Wagener. In this emotional piece, members of BMDT fight for love.Photo by Izzy Wagener.
“I think it’s such a powerful piece, and definitely an audience-grabber,” Fasasi said. “It’s different than anything else in the show.”
The last number and a crowd favorite, “Finale: Mysterious” took a Sunday church theme, choreographed by resident BMDT choreographer JaRon Gilchrist. Featuring a backing track from famed musical, “The Color Purple,” the finale pays homage to the Charleston church shooting, a 2015 massacre in which a white nationalist killed nine Black Americans.
Photo by Izzy Wagener. The full BMDT Ensemble joins the stage in flowing skirts for this passionate number.Photo by Izzy Wagener.
In the company’s meticulous execution and emotional performances, the theme of “Eternal Roots” rose.
“It was profound,” Renatka Kozlowska (CAS ‘28), an audience member, said. “I think [the performances] showed that we can all find connection, even if we’re separated by our origins.”
Encapsulating the complex relationships between humanity, heritage, and our world, BMDT hoped “Eternal Roots,” would plant the seeds for connection amongst its audience.
“Aside from them enjoying the production, I want the audience to feel inspired by our work,” Davis said. “I always want our concert to spark conversation.”
For Kozlowska, “Eternal Roots” inspired her in her own relationships.
“You can apply that to your own life, and think, ‘How can I make connections with other people who are different than me generationally, racially, by gender, by age, no matter who you are you can find a connection,” Kozlowska said.
BMDT members said that the tight-knit community of the group was integral in bringing the show to life.
“The reason I stayed is because I love the people, I love the work they do, I love the story dance tells,” Fasasi said. “When you get into this community that embraces you, it was amazing.”
As the BMDT 2025 Spring Showcase came to a close, the relationships formed remain eternally rooted in the minds of the company.
“The connections that we’ve made throughout this semester are really everything to me,” Munroe said. “That’s my absolute favorite part, I wouldn’t give that up for anything.”
