Life > April 24, 2008

By Jermyn Davis | Staff writer

It is happening again … dance is changing the university. The last time, in 1957, it was a group of rebellious university students who were trying to convince the Baptist Convention that dancing was not wrong and it should be allowed at the university. Now the dancers are going green.

Well, the dancers are not literally; rather, this year’s university dance department’s spring show is entitled “Going Green.”

Not deviating from the form of each spring show, the show will feature only works choreographed by students.

The talented student choreographers are seniors Anna Banerjea, Dorian Cowan, India Diaz, Adriana Dew, Sarah Klyap, Kelly Mullen, Morgan Partin, Caitlin Patrick, Jamie Patterson and Brooke Vogel; and sophomores Allison Fuster and Janelle Summerville.

This year’s choreographers wanted to use the theme of going green and being environmentally friendly because it challenged them to go beyond their natural ideas of inspiration.

“The Going Green theme was a challenging stimulus for our student choreographers because it encouraged us to find ways to use performance art as commentary on a social issue,” Vogel said.

“We developed this commentary in functional ways and through choreographic ideas.” One of the initiatives included using recycled paper for programs and posters.

This concert has been even more challenging and rewarding for some of the first-time choreographers. “At times the process has been beyond frustrating, but for the most part – as a first time choreographer – I have enjoyed the learning experience and have garnered confidence and scope,” Summervile said, “I really could not be more excited to see how everything turns out.”

Summerville and the entire dance department have reason to be excited. Though the show focuses on the idea of being environmental friendly, it will not be mundane and repetitive. “The dancers worked hard to create diverse pieces and pieces that did not take the theme too literally,” Banerejea said.

This means the audience should not be scared about seeing the stereotypical props of a recycling bin and simple tree dances.

Rather, the audience should expect some “abstractly used Going-Green themes,” Banjerea said. “For example, I tried to use the idea of sustainability by including sections where my dancers create their own music.”

The works also range in styles from ballet, modern, hip-hop, jazz and others.

“The inspiration for my piece (“Solstice) is light and I hope to the piece ultimately conveys that light (especially natural light) plays a big part in our day-to-day lives,” Fuster said.

Patrick said she created her work “SeafoamLimeOliveGrassForest” because “the theme prompted me to work with the connotation of phrases ‘going green’ and ‘green with envy.’” Dew choreographed a ballet piece titled “Fiddles, Flowers and Floating.”

“I choreographed (this dance) inspired by Marc Chagall, whose paintings generally portray an idyllic, pastoral existence that celebrates life and love,” Dew said. In Klyap’s modern piece “Take nothing but photographs. Leave nothing but footprint. Kill nothing but time” she said she entertained the idea of the “ecological footprint” – how we as artists leave footprints on our environment through our work.

The hip hop piece “If,” choreographed by Diaz, is an “illustration of how dancers can be technical, sensual and pedestrian all at once,” Diaz said.

Partin’s dance, “Some Things Never Change,” is personal. “My piece looks back on memories that have been created in (my) life and celebrates them helping to become the person (I am) today,” Partin said.

There will definitely be memories made at this concert. Christina Tsoules Soriano, associate professor of dance, said, “I have been very excited to see the students’ work come together after they rehearsed for many weeks in the studio with their casts.”

“This is our opportunity to get people thinking about sustainability in a different way,” Mullen said. “Each choreographer found their own way to incorporate this theme into his or her dance, and these subtleties show the little contributions we can make to be environmentally-friendly.”

The show will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 24-26 and at 2 p.m. April 27 in MainStage Theatre in Scales Fine Arts Center. 

Tickets for the concert are $10 for adults and $5 for students, senior citizens and children.