Not Your Average College Dance Group
By Diane Garcia

How many college dance groups can say that they have performed at a Boston Celtics game?

Framingham State College’s dance group, Fusion, which consists of 50 FSC students, can.

In fact, Fusion tries to perform at the Celtics pre-game show every fall.

Jill Kotsiopoulos, Fusion’s treasurer, feels lucky to have such an amazing opportunity. “It’s a surreal feeling…You’re really anxious to go on and by the time you’re done, it’s like, ‘Did I just dance at the Celtics?’” she said.

The group also performs at the college’s basketball games, annual fashion show, and biannual dance shows.

Kotsiopoulos explains that Fusion began a couple years ago because the officers at the time wanted more than just a club, they wanted a full “performance based group.”

Fusion welcomes any FSC student interested in joining regardless of his or her experience. Kotsiopoulos believes that the group’s welcoming nature has helped her grow. “It’s a lot of different people with different backgrounds, techniques, and abilities, so you’re all on different levels of learning. I feel like I’ve grown more as a dancer here,” she said.

Every semester, Fusion picks a theme and coordinates songs, costumes, and dances to it. The group’s current officers, Mackenzie Cleary, Bree Fumia, Jonathan Merced, Erica Tricomi, and Kotsiopoulos, chose high school cliques as their inspiration for performances this spring. Past themes include “Around the World” and “Hollywood.”

While Fusion has official jerseys for their Celtics performances, their costumes for events at FSC consist of clothing “thrown together” by the club officers. They also include a specific item, such as scarves or roses, to help distinguish each of the four separate dances.

The group practices every Tuesday night for an hour in FSC’s aerobics room. They increase their practice to two hours the week prior to their end-of-the-semester show.

Although Kotsiopoulos loves having the opportunity to dance at the Celtics pre-game, she can never get enough of performing for her family, friends, and fellow students at the dance show.

She has been dancing since she was three, and truly believes that, “Performing never gets old, it’s always a new experience and exciting…I definitely couldn’t picture myself without it.”

To catch Fusion, check out their spring semester dance show at Framingham State College on April 29th at 7:30 p.m. and May 1st at 2:30 p.m. in the Dwight Performing Arts Center. Tickets are free for FSC students and will cost $3 to $5 for general admission.