Ben Taylor
Staff Writer
The arrival of spring brings many wonderful things: birds, flowers, flip-flop weather, boisterous townies and (not least of all) the College of Wooster Spring Dance Concert.
More formal than the fall performance, the Spring Dance Concert premieres Thursday, April 18 at 8:15 p.m. in Freedlander Theatre, showcasing a variety of dances from a number of choreographers. Annie Woller ’13, Darius Dixon ’13, Shannon McKnight ’14, Shakera Blackmon ’14 and Amadi Washington ’14, along with Professor of Theater and Dance Kim Tritt, join guest choreographer Professor Rodney A. Brown from Ohio State University in creating dance pieces. The show presents an assortment of works ranging in length from five to seven minutes and touching on a variety of topics.
“They all have a different flavor,” said Tritt. “There’s some fun pieces, there’s some thoughtful pieces, there’s some pieces that make comments.”
The concert is bookended by the dances choreographed by Woller and Dixon, beginning with a piece by Woller. Set to an octet by Felix Mendelssohn, each dancer represents one of the musical instruments, two serving as violas, two as cellos and four as violins. The dancers and music are highly incorporated, integrating the dancers’ movements with the score.
“I had the musical score that I got from an old high school orchestra teacher so I could actually see what was musically happening in all the parts and try to choreograph with that in mind and actually break down the song and kind of reconstruct it [through] the dancers,” said Woller.
She also noted that different movements are repeated throughout in order to mirror the various musical motifs in Mendelssohn’s composition.
Contrasting this piece is the one by Dixon, entitled “En Tombe” which translates to “falls in” in French. The piece is more narratively-focused than Woller’s.
The program synopsis of the dance states, “Life is one big risk, a game of [‘X’s and ‘O’s] leading to an end goal. How we get there is important, but not as important as our decision to merely JUMP IN.”
The work takes full advantage of the design of the Freelander Theatre’s stage, even lowering the pit so that the dancers can jump into it at different points throughout the performance.
The concert fills in the space between these two pieces with a number of other works that focus on a variety of issues ranging from “peace through understanding” to “the impact of the arrival of HIV/AIDS to the American landscape.” There is truly something for everyone to enjoy at this concert.
“It’s worth your time to come,” said Tritt. The pieces are very different from one another, and you’re sure to find something [that appeals to you].”
Tickets are on sale now in the Freelander Box Office, open Monday through Saturday from 12-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Students are able to reserve one free ticket apiece, and general admission is $9.00.
The show runs from April 18-20 at 8:15 p.m. each evening.