Student dancers and choreographers, joined by a faculty choreographer, will take the stage Friday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 13, in the fall dance concert. The students involved have been rehearsing ever since auditions were held at the beginning of the semester.
Pankti Dalal ’17, a math major from Southampton, Mass., along with Stephan Beavers ’15, a dance and history major from Columbus, Ohio, is choreographing a piece called “time was lost tomorrow.” “Movement-wise, it is a blend of contemporary, post-modern and classical Indian gestural movement,” Dalal said. “It is technically demanding, and we approached this piece to choreograph it to push us both physically and mentally. It was an adventure to put this piece together because Stephan and I strive to explore each moment to its fullest extent. Each movement has a purpose.”
Their piece also will function as part of Beavers’s senior thesis.
Professor of Dance Balinda Craig-Quijada, one of the directors of the show, choreographed a piece called “Meta-Dance.” “It uses text, and it kind of comments on the process of making a dance while you’re performing that dance,” she said.
She emphasized the impressive range of talents in each dance of this show, noting that two pieces — “Animus” and “Surface Tension” — also include original music.
Craig-Quijada stresses that the performances are not to be missed. “In life we have few opportunities to engage with live art-making. We come together and have a shared experience,” she said. “That openness, that freedom to engage is a rare opportunity.”
The concert starts at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Hill Theater. Tickets are available at the Bolton Theater Box Office or by calling 740-427-5546.
By Madeleine Thompson '15