After hours of trying out different steps and deciding on the right moves, all of the choreography was finally complete.

Amanda Hoyer, vice president of Senior Orchesis, and the other Senior Orchesis members were given the responsibility of creating their own dances for the 2014 Orchesis Dance Company performances.

“It’s a long process where you just listen to the song you [are] choreographing to and just start moving,” said Hoyer. “This is my first year choreographing, so it [has] been an exciting process.”

Hoyer has been on the Orchesis Dance Company for four years and enjoys having a leadership position as well as being one of four dancers to be chosen to choreograph by herself.

“It was hard for me to start choreographing a dance at the beginning of the song so I start[ed] 30 seconds into the song and went from there,” said Hoyer. “Then, I go back to the beginning once I have some ideas of what I want the dance to be like.”

Each dance is a group number involving nine to 15 dancers. The featured dance styles are lyrical, modern, jazz and tap.

Hoyer said the dancing is “harder and more intense” than that featured in the Variety Show.

In addition to the dances choreographed and taught by Senior Orchesis members, the Orchesis Dance Company invited dance professionals as guest choreographers.

The Senior Orchesis members and guest choreographers complete their dances and teach them to all of the members. Junior Orchesis member Sammy Kasselman said the choreographers then decide which dancers fit the dance best.

“[Diane DeRosa Reynolds, the Orchesis Dance Company supervisor,] chooses from those people because she has to make sure everyone is in an even amount of dances throughout the show,” Kasselman said.

In addition to the choreography process, members spend Mondays through Thursdays in January, February and March learning and perfecting the dances for the shows. Dress and technical rehearsals are scheduled for the week before the shows for final preparations.

The dances are scheduled to be featured in the upcoming Orchesis Dance Company shows on March 13, 14 and 15 in the CPA at 7:30 p.m. Each performance consists of the same dances and all 40 Orchesis Company performers. The title of the show is “Breathless.”  Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10.

“People spend a lot of time and put a lot of work into the show, even the crew,” said Hoyer. “It [is] really just a quick, fun, easy thing that people should come to.”