Even though rain poured down mercilessly on Central Campus on Saturday evening, it was a starry night in room 196 of Forker Hall.

Eager attendees entered the warm room to a night of relaxing music, artistic choreography and beautiful dancing performed by the Iowa State dance club Orchesis I.

The theme for this year’s dance presentation was “Starry Night,” and all dances focused on celestial motivations.

The “Starry Night” aspect made the presentation enjoyable and comfortable, said Mary Faust, junior in biology.

“I enjoyed the theme,” she said. “It was easy to watch. Each piece was different and it let you see a different aspect of dance.”

Faust praised the first dance of the night, “Resistance is Futile,” choreographed by Kareem Dixon, student in liberal arts and sciences, because of its contemporary hip-hop style.

Orchesis I dancers showed off their moves to the bouncy rhythms of Michael Jackson playing in the background, creating a fun and modern dance presentation.

One of the most unique aspects of the performance was the choreographer’s explanation of the meanings and motivations behind each dance.

Ali Mostrom, junior in chemistry, explained her piece “Life on the Main Sequence” as an extremely condensed version of the longest stage of a star’s life: billions of years shortened to several minutes.

Orchesis I members included several different styles of dance in the show, including a ballet-style in Courtney McClimon’s, junior in apparel merchandising, design and production, duet “La Luna” featuring Michelle Kliegl, senior in early childhood education, and Dixon.

In this piece the two dancers represented the sun and the moon, and they eventually merged to form an eclipse at the end of the dance, creating a beautifully serene visual effect.

Ames resident Orpha Parkin said the whole production was a pleasent success and did not disappoint her in the slightest. She said “A Comet’s Tale,” choreographed by Matt Kawa, senior in performing arts, was exceptional.

“It was magnificent, excellent, creative and elegant,” Parkin said. “I liked all of the dances; a couple were really great. `A Comet’s Tale’ was just excellent.”

In “A Comet’s Tale,” the dancers formed the tail of a comet, and switched between slow unison dancing and frantic extensions of their appendages, in an exciting representation of one of the universe’s most mysterious phenomena.

Orchesis I presented the ISU community with a great opportunity to see an informal, comfortable presentation of talent and creativity.

The “Starry Night” theme was well accentuated by the variety of dance choreography created by the students, keeping interest levels high.

Even though the dances were not performed under a starlit sky, as planned, it still felt like it.

Luke Rolfes is a junior in English from Polk City.