Thursday, August 28th, 2008

Dancers to perform after months of rehearsal

Choreographer draws inspiration from Greek myth, personal experience

The University Dance Company will perform its Fall concert tonight and Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Lied Center

By Sasha Roe (Contact)

Thursday, November 15th, 2007

The dark curtain rushes up to the ceiling, the electric energy of violins fills the room and suddenly brightly colored dancers burst onto stage. Dancers in lime green, hot pink, bright blue, orange and red fill the rainbow-lit stage, as a Degas-like scene comes to life in the ballet, “Pas Trés Classique.” This is just one performance the University Dance Company hopes to amaze and enchant audiences with at its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Friday in the Lied Center. This year, a show highlight is a dance choreographed by nationally known dancer, Twyla Tharp. Tharp has choreographed for films such as “Hair” and Broadway shows such as “Singin’ in the Rain.” She has recently given dance companies permission to use her choreography. The University Dance Company will perform her dance, “Torelli,” which begins with eight highly structured movement phrases that challenge dancers.

Nora Burt, Chicago sophomore and company member, said her favorite part of dance was the out-of-body experience of performing on stage. Burt said the Tharp piece was challenging because the company had bought the rights to the dance and learned it from a DVD. Therefore, the choreography had to be exact.

Michelle Hayes, associate professor of dance, choreographed the dance, “Cradling Persephone.” She said the inspiration for the dance came from the Greek myth of Persephone, a young girl abducted by Hades. She incorporated the myth with her experiences mentoring young women in the dance department, and watching them undergo the challenges of adolescence and making it on their own. She said when Kelsey Smith was abducted and murdered in Overland Park in June, she couldn’t imagine what the family went through, and wanted to weave the story into her dance. Hayes said she wanted to evoke the feeling of surviving and living after trauma.

Burt, who is in “Cradling Persephone,” said part of the challenge of the dance was expressing the emotions the piece required.

“When I’m given a character, that’s a whole other dimension,” Burt said. “I’m acting with the dance.”

The dance, which is in three parts, transitions throughout the story. Hayes said it moved from a tranquil, innocent beginning, to a dynamic middle section that exudes the “mean girl” phenomena of adolescence. Finally, it ends with a feeling of survival.

Toni Bolger, West Des Moines, Iowa, senior, and dancer in “Cradling Persephone,” said she enjoyed telling the story through dance. Bolger said modern dance was her favorite because it could be so expressive and personal. As a senior, Bolger said the performance was especially important to her, and she was excited to show the audience what the group had been working on since August.

“I get to share my passion,” Bolger said. “Performing is kind of like a high. That’s what we love to do.”

The concert will also include solo performances. Hayes will perform a flamenco solo, “Soleá,” which will be accompanied live by guitar and violin. She said the flamenco style was challenging, because if her balance got off one millimeter, she would lose the tempo of the dance. Hayes said the dancers had been committed to the fall concert since the beginning of the semester.

“They have no life during this semester,” Hayes said. “They’ve practiced for three hours a week since August, plus their own personal rehearsals.”

She said dancers spent about 15 years of the lives perfecting their art, plus three hours a week this semester all for a five-minute dance on stage to display their talent.

“I think that’s the magic,” Hayes said. “I think the audience realizes there’s a sense of investment.”

Hayes said she had a pre-performance ritual where she placed her hands on the floor. She said she tried to meditate and soak up all the talent that had danced across the Lied Center stage.

Burt said she hoped more students would attend the performance. She said the students would be impressed and surprised with the content of the show.

“I think dance is under the radar,” Burt said. “ It’s kind of a cultural experience, it’s not just your little sister’s dance recital.”

Edited by Elizabeth Cattell

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