Refusionshaka

Companies: Refresh Dance Crew, Fusion Dance Company, Boomshaka Venue: Cahn Auditorium (1,000 seats) Budget: $1,500-$4,000

Bringing together three companies for an annual, high-energy performance featuring hip-hop, contemporary, and freestyle dance as well as drumming, Refusionshaka (RFS) is the largest student produced dance show at Northwestern. I vividly remember attending RFS as a first year and setting a goal to lighting design the show before graduating. Thus, it brings me great pride to be able to say that I not only went on to design the subsequent three RFS shows but also that I elevated the production value of the show during those three years by expanding the lighting team, launching an annual fundraising campaign that has increased our budget threefold, and introducing new spectacle elements (haze, new fixtures/positions, rigged scenery).

2024

Budget: $4,000

Please note that the video above is a compilation of short clips from various dances throughout the 2+ hr. show.
Videos courtesy of Victoria Yu, Daniela Morales, Declan Franey, Sophia Pedro Torres

Creative Director: Melanie Ahn
Lighting Designer: Melanie Ahn
Programmer: Michael Baim
Electrician: Alex Branka
Rigging Coordinator: Alex Yang

2023

Budget: $4,000

Please note that the video above is a compilation of short clips from various dances throughout the 2+ hr. show.
Videos courtesy of Andrew Phan (New Pixel Film)

Creative Director: Melanie Ahn
Lighting Designer: Melanie Ahn
Programmer: Michael Baim
Electrician: Alex Branka

2022

Budget: $1,500

Praise

I've been part of supporting student activities/student orgs/student performances my entire career - 27 years - and NU is my fifth university. WOW - Refusionshaka is the best student produced show I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot! I know first-hand all that it takes behind the scenes to pull off a show like that, and it is obvious to me that the talent and dedication of all of the students involved with this production is unmatched. It was also fun to see how energized the audience was for the entire show - that can be difficult to maintain and y'all kept it dialed to 100 the whole time.

Corbin Smyth, Executive Director of Norris University Center

Norwood said her favorite part of the performance was the lighting, which varied with each song and featured bright colors and flashing strobes at times.

“(It) was phenomenal,” she said. “It built up the atmosphere and anticipation of different moves and helped carry the storytelling of the show.”

MJ Gudino, The Daily Northwestern

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