Review: The MaMa Project — ‘Do You Believe in Magic?’

If you missed the days when fairies made childhood sparkle, do not worry — the MaMa Project’s recent “Do You Believe in Magic?” unlocked that hidden childlike magic.

Photo provided by Colson Struss

By Katherine Hong

March 17, 2026

On Friday and Saturday, February 27-28, friends and family were greeted by sparkly, silver tinsel as they entered a world of whimsy through the doors of Barnard’s Glicker-Milstein Theatre. “Do You Believe in Magic?,” this year’s MaMa Project performance, was choreographed by Tal Bloom (BC ’26) and Madeleine Rosenthal (BC ’26), affectionately known as the dance crew’s “MaMa” and “PaPa.” Founded in 2002, the MaMa Project is a student-run satellite dance group sponsored by Orchesis, Columbia’s largest dance organization. The MaMa Project allows a close-knit cast of up-and-coming student choreographers and dancers to express their creativity by bringing their own hour-long performance to life after months of practice and determination. 

As I stepped into the theater, I could see the fine detail sprinkled throughout the set, staying true to their trademark of a land where fairies and gnomes exist. The stage featured a surreal, dreamlike set where an oversized clock, with a fairy pasted onto its face, hung on a backdrop, illuminated by the warm glow of suspended stars and colorful fairy lights. Overall, the set was minimal yet transformative. Before the lights went down, a group of dancers, wearing paper crowns, were gathered around a long table with a baby-blue tablecloth, busy reading storybooks and doing various arts-and-crafts activities. Laughter and light chatter filled the air as the full cast of frolicking dancers joined the group to open the production, lit only by the twinkling fairy lights. 

As the opening number came to a close, all the dancers prepared to perform The Monkees’ 1967 No. 1 hit song, “Daydream Believer,” for a full-cast performance. Smooth pirouettes, lofty high kicks, and playful cartwheels electrified the atmosphere. The wardrobe was diverse and on theme — some dancers wore blue overalls, others wore long, flowy pastel skirts and rompers. Sometimes, the dance correlated directly with the lyrics, as the dancers used their bodies to reflect the narrative of the song. For one move, the dancers formed a crown over their heads to match the concluding lyrics, “a daydream believer and a homecoming queen.”

To open one of many lively numbers, Rosenthal performed a color-changing silk magic trick that drew cheers from the audience, preceding a small group of dancers gathering for a children’s slumber party. They danced the night away, transforming colorful pillow props into pretend electric guitars for air-guitar solos and swinging them in lively mini pillow fights. It was at this point that I felt like I was a kid again. As the children drifted back to sleep, two fairies spun gracefully through the air, tapping their enchanted wands, ever so gently as to draw them back from their dreams. 

In the following number, Yuzo Lai (CC ’29) and Sydney Kelble (CC ’27) captured the “butterflies” and innocent thrill of a first childhood crush. Dressed in a loose shirt and a simple dress, the pair playfully blew bubbles from green and pink wands — even creating a bubble “heart” together, drawing a warm reaction from the crowd. Their performance highlighted the fluidity of lyrical style, which featured swinging arm movements as they danced hand-in-hand to Fred Rogers’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

The choreography’s pace throughout the show fluctuated, shifting between slow and fast sequences to mirror the music’s fluid tempo. Nonetheless, the dancers maintained a steady rhythm and cohesive alignment. This structure occasionally gave way to periods of creative liberty, during which free-swinging arms captured the unrestricted essence of childhood. Among the dualities of youth, the performance explored both the effortless joys and the sharp frustrations that come with it; Avery Baumel (CC ’26) and Inez Keulemans (BC ’29) portrayed a “tantrum” by angrily tossing their phones onto an orange couch and a folding bed. When their text messages went unanswered, they channeled their growing annoyance into a game of patty-cake and expressive dancing, eventually throwing pillows offstage in defeat.

As the performance wrapped up, the full cast united for the final two numbers, providing a fulfilling finale and sense of completion. The choreography transitioned from intimate clusters to spectacular, synchronized “leaps of faith,” charging the air with passionate energy. For the final number, “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!,” the stage was filled with sweeping motions and majestic ballerina-style twirls, until the cast spun their way offstage.

As the stage lit up once more, the crew energetically skipped onto the stage to take their bows, throwing their arms in the air, accompanied by loud cheers and applause from the audience. Through the dancing and the puzzle pieces of childhood, “Do You Believe in Magic?” left me yearning with nostalgia for my earlier days. Staying true to the MaMa Project’s vision, the performance captured the fleeting moments where whimsy and wonder made everything seem possible. Indeed, I walked out believing in magic!