Just before March Break, the Williams community enjoyed the 44th annual Compchorea, a performing arts showcase that blends music and dance in a celebration of student creativity. Primarily student-led, the festival features student-composed pieces alongside works directed by Bo Parish and Jeff Cregeur.
Compchorea has a distinctive history at Williams. It began when musicians and dancers collaborated to create original works, pairing student-composed music with choreography developed specifically for each piece. The name reflects this union, combining “composition” and “choreography.”
Over the years, the show has evolved and now features a diverse range of music that highlights the talents of student musicians, singers, and composers. Participants explore, perform, and challenge themselves with both original works and pieces by established artists.
Now in its 44th iteration, Compchorea continues to grow in scope and ambition. Take a look at the wonderful cast below.
Cast
Vocal Lab Choir
Zara Asim ’26
Ace Bairos ’27
Julia Battista ’26
Orchid Burns ’27
Sydney Caplan ’26
Carlo Danese ’28
Raymond Dolan ’28
Juliana Ocampo ’29
Hogan Porter ’28
The Williams School Jazz Band
Zara Asim ’26, vocals
Bond Su ’28, flute
Ken Wang ’26, clarinet
Yuran Li ’26, guitar
Julian Thorn ’30, piano
Hudson Foisie ’28, bass
Julia Battista ’26, percussion
Production Crew
Stage Manager: Sophia Behm ’27
Dimmer Board Operator: Ouranab Murtaza ’27
Sound Board Operator: Emily Smith ’27
Lighting Design: Andrew Brown
Scenic and Lighting Setup: Production Class
Stage Crew: Thomas Carpenter ’27, Valentin Vasquez ’30, Piper Boland ’30
Program Cover: Samantha Banever ’27
Production Class (Under the Direction of Andrew Brown):
Sophia Behm ’27, Thomas Carpenter ’27, Paul Petersen ’27, Emily Smith ’27
List of Performances
“Anthem” from the musical Chess
Raymond Dolan ’28
Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus (1986)
Boogie Wonderland
Choreographed and Performed by: Hogan Porter ’28 and Josephine Rimmer ’27
Music by A. Willis & J. Lind / Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions
One Less Problem
Choreographed by: Ace Bairos ’27 and Isabella Wilcox ’27
Performed by: Emilia Bloxsom ’31, Caroline Corkhill ’31, Alexa Gjonaj ’31, Madeline Muench ’31, Madeline Reid ’31, Lylah Sawyer ’31
Music by Ariana Grande et al.
All For Us
Choreographed and Performed by: Sierra Hurst-Ruales ’29
Music by Labrinth & Zendaya
That Old Feeling
Julia Battista ’26
Sammy Fain (1902–1989)
Eleanor Rigby
Choreographed by: Bo Parish
Performed by: Ace Bairos ’27, Orchid Burns ’27, Lena Cosentino ’29, Sarah Harvey ’27, Isabella Newton Lobo ’27, Vanessa Noble ’26, Madden Remmert ’28, Josephine Rimmer ’27, Nora Simonelli ’28, Julia Wang ’27, Isabella Wilcox ’27, Claire Xenelis ’29
Music by Lennon-McCartney / The Beatles
Dancing Queen
Choreographed and Performed by: Emilia Bloxsom ’31, Barbara Bates-Ma ’31, Caroline Corkhill ’31, Alexa Gjonaj ’31, Madeline Muench ’31, Madeline Reid ’31, Lylah Sawyer ’31
Music by B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus / ABBA
Worth While
Ace Bairos ’27, voice; Jeff Cregeur, piano; Hogan Porter ’28, guitar; Hudson Foisie ’28, bass; Julia Battista ’26, drum set
ExM
Choreographed by: Ace Bairos ’27
Performed by: Sierra Hurst-Ruales ’29, Anjeliah Llanos-Reyes ’27, Juliana Ocampo ’29, Madden Remmert ’28, Josephine Rimmer ’27, Nora Simonelli ’28, Isabella Wilcox ’27
Music by Radiohead
“Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent
Performed by: Vocal Lab Choir
Jonathan Larson (1960–1996)
In the Darkest Night
Choreographed by: Bo Parish, with contributions from the dancers
Performed by: Ace Bairos ’27, Orchid Burns ’27, Sarah Harvey ’27, Sierra Hurst-Ruales ’29, Gabrielle Ivy ’28, Anjeliah Llanos-Reyes ’27, Isabella Newton Lobo ’27, Vanessa Noble ’26, Madden Remmert ’28, Josephine Rimmer ’27, Nora Simonelli ’28, Julia Wang ’27, Isabella Wilcox ’27, Claire Xenelis ’29
Music by Henry Purcell / remixed by P. Schwartz & M. Grigorov
“If I Didn’t Believe in You” from the musical The Last Five Years
Hogan Porter ’28
Jason Robert Brown (b.1970)
Europa
Performed by: The Williams School Jazz Band
Carlos Santana & Tom Coster (1976)
Everybody, Everybody
Choreographed and Performed by: Ace Bairos ’27, Gabrielle Ivy ’28, Josephine Rimmer ’27
Music by Black Box
I Need You Back
Choreographed and Performed by: Sierra Hurst-Ruales ’29, Madeline Muench ’31, Julia Wang ’27
Music by Fujii Kaze
Vocal Experiment No. 1
Zara Asim ’26, voice; Jeff Reinhart ’28, piano; Hudson Foisie ’28, bass; Julia Battista ’26, drum set
Wind It Up
Choreographed by: Ace Bairos ’27
Performed by: Ace Bairos ’27, Orchid Burns ’27, Gabrielle Ivy ’28, Anjeliah Llanos-Reyes ’27, Vanessa Noble ’26, Isabella Pepas ’28, Madden Remmert ’28, Nora Simonelli ’28, Isabella Wilcox ’27
Music by Gwen Stefani
“Astonishing” from the musical Little Women
Sydney Caplan ’26
Jason Howland (b.1971)
La-La
Choreographed and Performed by: Ace Bairos ’27 and Gabrielle Ivy ’28
Music by Childish Gambino
Diamonds Are Forever
Performed by: The Williams School Jazz Band
John Barry (1933–2011)
What Water Does to Stone
Choreographed by: Bo Parish and the dancers
Performed by: Ace Bairos ’27, Orchid Burns ’27, Sarah Harvey ’27, Gabrielle Ivy ’28, Isabella Newton Lobo ’27, Vanessa Noble ’26, Madden Remmert ’28, Josephine Rimmer ’27, Nora Simonelli ’28, Julia Wang ’27, Isabella Wilcox ’27, Claire Xenelis ’29
Music by Nick Drake
