Displaying items by tag: School of Dance
The Ballet and Modern Dance programs will share the stage for the first time ever in the School of Dance’s inaugural Gala Concert this March. Formed in 2016, the new School of Dance is dedicated to the continued legacies of the individual disciplines of Ballet and Modern Dance. In honor of the creation of this School, the Gala concert will feature a diverse program, incorporating four unique perspectives on the art of dance including an excerpt of Swan Lake, two original faculty works, and culminating with an excerpt of Stephen Petronio’s iconic masterwork MiddleSexGorge.
The program opens with Act III of the legendary ballet, Swan Lake, boldly adapted by Professor Jay Kim and assisted by Professor James Ady. The version performed is the 1895 revival first staged for the Imperial Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.
School of Dance Director Luc Vanier’s Triptych Octet is a distillation of the evening length work, Triptych. Created in 2008, Triptych was created in collaboration with composer Chris Burns and painter Leslie Vansen. The dance’s movement research focuses primarily on allowing the body to arch to its full capacity and what this means for the balance between the head, spine and the pelvis. The clockwork precision timing of the crisscrossing patterns of the two trios is inspired by Vansen’s abstract paintings. The duet explores what it means to be tri-legged as Burn’s percussive score sets the spacious rhythmic tone for the work.
Enough, a new work by Modern Dance Program Coordinator Stephen Koester, started by asking the question, “As civilization ‘advances,’ have we become any more civilized or humane?” Our history can be said to be littered with our inability to treat others with humanity, kindness and care, as beliefs, faiths, greed, need, and want trump responsibility to each other. Juxtaposing a solo figure against a quartet, the dance evokes images of injury, injustice, offense and defeat, building to a sense of desolation and disconnection. Koester contrasts visceral, aggressive movement and his signature partnering with a serene sound score by composer Max Richter.
The exciting final dance on the Gala program is an excerpt of the groundbreaking work, MiddleSexGorge. First debuted in 1990, MiddleSexGorge is choreographer Stephen Petronio’s signature anthem to gender and power. With heat and volatility, MiddleSexGorge propels the dancers through space in bold, sensually charged encounters inspired by Petronio's involvement with ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in the late ’80s. The piece is set to a commissioned score by the British post-punk band, Wire. Gino Grenek, whose work with the Stephen Petronio Company spans over 17 years, was the guest artist in residence who staged the work on the dancers. This is the first time MiddleSexGorge will be performed by any university, and it is a great honor for the School of Dance students from both programs to have the opportunity to perform this technically demanding piece together.
Join us for the School of Dance Gala, March 23-25 and March 30-April 1 at the Marriott Center for Dance at the University of Utah. In addition to the evening performances there will be a 2:00 PM matinee performance both Saturdays of the run. Tickets are available online at Tickets.utah.edu, by phone at 801.581.7100 or at the door 30 minutes prior to curtain. A celebration dinner precedes the April 1 evening performance; for dinner tickets or more information please visit Dance.utah.edu.
This year, the School of Dance has had the inspiring opportunity to welcome Art and Art History MFA Student David Habben, into the dance studios for a unique collaboration. Illustrator and fine artist in the Art Department, Habben’s works created with and inspired by the dancers over the past year, will be on display 3/20 – 3/28 in the Alvin Gittins Gallery, located in the Art & Art History Building.
The project began when Habben was introduced to Professor Brent Schneider in the Modern Dance Program by one of his faculty advisors. Schneider invited Habben to visit the School of Dance’s technique classes to see what would come of it, and with the particular support of Schneider, Visiting Assistant Professor Daniel Clifton, and musicians Wayne Coons and Michael Wall, a rich collaborative process began.
“As an illustrator, my initial reaction is always to draw something, but the movement of the dancers was so powerful, I felt the need to try a different approach. The brush and ink work started as an experiment and evolved into something that both I and the dancers were able to find a connection in.”
Habben describes his work with the dancers as a documentation of movement through illustrative impressionistic drawings. Using ink and a variety of brushes, Habben is “intent on capturing the subtleties of motion that the dancers utilize to form their compositions. The idea centers around seeing ourselves through other people's eyes, communicating more effectively, and also bringing our unique voices to more productive dialogue.”
At his show, observers will have the opportunity to see nearly 50 works created in the dance studios, including one large piece that stands 8ft tall by over 20ft long. This larger work was created by the dancers themselves during the course of a technique class, the dancers responding to their classmates’ movements and to the energy still resonating within them as they stepped off the dance floor to transition to painting. Visitors to the gallery will also hear a recording of the sounds of the dance studio during that particular collaboration, bringing them multi-texturally into the unique experience of that class.
Reflecting back on his experience, Habben shares that he didn’t have any expectations going into the process and believes that “that's one of the reasons it has been so rewarding. To walk into those studios as an outsider and end up becoming so involved with the faculty and students was an amazing opportunity. I've been able to learn so many things, but I particularly felt a renewed sense of the power of personal expression and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable to new experiences. As part of the process, I was actually able to take a class myself and learn firsthand the effort, focus, and endurance that are required of these dancers. Their talent and enthusiasm was truly inspiring.”
“Be Somewhere” by David Habben runs 3/20 -3/28 in the Alvin Gittins Gallery, Art & Art History Bldg. Artist Talk 3/24 at 5PM in Rm 158 with a reception from 6-9PM.
By Emerging Leaders Ambassador and Guest Writer, Rachel Luebbert
One of the first things you do each morning is put clothes on. You make decisions of what to wear and what not to wear, covering your body in very specific ways. This is an act of drag and although it might be unconscious at times, it influences the way the world receives us.
Shane Davis, a third grad student in the Modern Dance program founded a new class this semester entitled “Dragging Gender into the 21st Century” that explores these themes. Davis explained, “My course looks at how drag, both the intentional art form and the subconscious daily routine, can be used to examine gender normativity.” This course presents a critical lens to analyze the role of drag across history and in the 21st century.
Natalie Oliver, a grad student in the Art & Art History Department decided to take this course because it aligned with her own studio practice research. Oliver explains, “I develop different personas in my studio work. This course has helped me understand the history of Drag as well as the different ways to perform my created characters.” This class, for example, is structured with a variety of readings that unpack the history of drag, along with performance exercises, guest speakers, and even make-up tutorials. Each of these classes is intended to prepare students for their creative final performance. Oliver explained that one of the most impactful readings for her surrounded the Medieval European transvestite saints who were women who would dress like men, then join the church in order to escape a forcefully oppressive life. Oliver mentioned, “This topic allowed me to consider Drag history from a female perspective, as opposed to a male perspective.” Throughout this course, Davis initiates conversations on what is considered masculine and feminine and how we can co-switch between all these symbols as we negotiate identity within the body.
In addition to this course, Davis is presenting his thesis “We Gender and So Can You” which also explores the interplay of drag, gender, and the body. This original work premieres on March 24th and is composed of nine different puzzle pieces that each react to different parts of gender. Davis explains, “I explore how we can be less serious about the institution of gender to create more of an openness to others.” One of these pieces was inspired by the societal construct that has taught women to take up less space than men. This piece includes a quartet of women that are taking up space, eating it up, splicing through it and commanding a reaction. This will be an exciting evening of exploring the identity we as individuals adopt based on the forces of society, drag, gender, and the body.
“We Gender and So Can You” premiers March 24th at 9:45PM, $5 entry fee at the Metro Music Hall (615 West 100 South).
*Must be 21 and up (a later presentation will be shown that is open to all ages).