Dance undergrads show off choreography
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Jan Brady long lamented the role of the younger sister with her famous squeal of “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.” While the past few UI dance department performances have spotlighted graduate students, the program’s metaphorical little sisters get a chance to shine with this weekend’s undergraduate dance concert.
Space/Place will be the site of the event, which will run today through Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets, $12 for adults and $6 for students, are available at the door before performances as well as at the IMU box office.
As part of getting an undergraduate degree in dance, students need to take a certain number of choreography classes. UI Professor Armando Duarte said many of the upcoming show’s pieces come directly from dancers’ coursework.
“Some of them, throughout the year or semester … have been choreographed as part of their choreography classes or independent projects,” he said. “[Students] also receive some mentorship throughout those months.”
Eleven of the 19 students who presented original works were chosen to display their choreography to the community in this weekends shows. Duarte and UI Assistant Professors Eloy Barragán and Deanna Carter selected the final pieces through an adjudication process.
“One of the main aspects of the adjudication is first to provide guidance and feedback to all the choreographers,” Duarte said. “The choreographers meet following their presentation with the panel of faculty adjudicators.”
There is a lot behind the process of picking pieces, and the panel members examine many different aspects of the dance before determining the final lineup.
“To select the works there is a variety of elements included here,” Duarte said. “First, the final project, if it is glued together, the originality, and if the intent of the choreography is clear. The second thing we consider also is the diversity of the evening. We try to also pick works that are also very original in styles from different genres, so we hopefully reach a broader audience.”
The dances represent jazz, ballet, modern, and postmodern choreography, he said.
“It’s a wonderful, difficult exercise to narrow down,” he said. “We’ve been blessed with a very good array of works from our undergrads — we’re very proud of them. I think the concert it is a reflection, hopefully a true reflection, of that.”
But just as some ugly ducklings have to wade in awkwardness before becoming swans, some pieces aren’t ready for audiences. Simply because a piece isn’t selected, Duarte said, doesn’t mean it is a lost cause.
“A lot of works, even though they’re not chosen, they’re very promising,” he said. “Sometimes the panel sees a work that has a lot of potential, but the work is not done, complete. The choreographer still needs to continue crafting a little bit, but there is not time because of the end of the semester.”
Audiences expecting classical music by long-dead composers will be surprised by the concert’s accompaniment. The list includes songs by Pink Floyd, Bjork, and Nine Inch Nails.
“We encourage our students to expose themselves to all kinds of and genres of music, all kinds,” Duarte said. “There is no bad music for choreography, but it all depends on what you’re trying to express through movement and what fits well with your vision. Sometimes even silence fits well.”
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