Martinez, a communications senior, had been rehearsing for her time on stage since October when auditions began for “Brought Into Being,” the bi-annual dance concert put on by the Department of Theatre.

When it comes to the performance, Martinez said she finds importance in the meaning behind each movement. She said dance provides a sense of release.

“I love when (our director) asks why we chose to move, because that’s different for every dancer,” Martinez said.

“I choose to move because I’m an out-of-state student but (dancing) feels like home,” she said. “After a long day … I get to come to a place where I feel like I’m accepted and I feel that I’m at peace, no matter who is judging who is in the audience, I hope they take a piece of me within them when they watch the show.”

Artistic Director Heather Vaughan-Southard led the student and professional cast in “Brought Into Being,” a dance performance that was held Thursday night in Snyder-Phillips hall.

The Department of Theatre produces a Repertory Dance Concert every other year which features choreography of MSU dance faculty and guest choreographers, Vaughan-Southard said.

During the years in which they do not perform, the student dance organization Orchesis produces a concert of student works.

This year, Orchesis collaborated with the Theatre Department to create “Brought Into Being,” which featured three student works and three works created by professional choreographers.

Psychology senior Thomas Bond was one such student choreographer who came upon the opportunity to direct his own seven-minute dance piece.

His work, entitled “Tintinnabuli,” was inspired by the symbiotic relationships that dancers have when they are dependent upon one another.

The name also comes from a musical term coined by the 20th-century composer Arvo Pärt, referring to the pairing of two melodies.

Bond has been working on his piece since October.

“There’s a high expectation that (choreographers) are going to come in with a lot of material,” Bond said.

“But my process has been very dancer-based, with dancers generating movement ideas … The hardest part is narrowing down what you want to say (in your piece) within seven minutes.”

One of the main reasons that students are given the chance to direct their own piece is to gain insight into professional theatre, Vaughan-Southard said.

In addition to student choreographers and dancers, the show presented an opportunity for technical theatre, costume design and lighting design students to participate and gain skills in the process.

“It is important for non-arts majors to see how we interpret life into an artful process dependent upon multiple types of communication and interaction of ideas,” Vaughan-Southard said.

“This is important for the comprehensive exposure it offers all artists and technicians interested in working in the performing arts and those interested in living an artful life.”