Miami University’s Dance Theatre presented its annual Spring Concert on Saturday, April 9 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, December 10 at 2 PM in Hall Auditorium on the Oxford campus. Dance Theatre’s eclectic style continues to include elements of many dance forms—from modern to modern ballet to jazz.
Combine the wit of Franz Josef Haydn’s London Trio no. 1 with the scandalous stories behind the Thomas Gainsborough and the Modern Woman portraits recently exhibited at the Cincinnati Art Museum, add dresses nodding to mid-18th century fashion designed and constructed by Sarah Timberlake of NYC, and you have Splendid Impositions, a premiere by Judith Mikita. Mikita an independent Cincinnati choreographer is also a faculty member at CCM.
Guest artist Joanna Kotze (Miami 1998) set Maybe it was there all along. The movement progresses from a rhythmic sense of self to a dynamic, interactive duet. The two ‘soloists’ are slowly but inexorably drawn to one another, and their motions and movement combinations become entwined. This piece asks questions about what it means to be alone versus what it means to be together in a partnership. What are the stresses, particularities and beautiful friction-filled moments in such a basic social evolution?
Guest artist Gregory Robnison, formerly with the Dayton Ballet, returns to set for Grace, a plotless work featuring 10 dancers. Set to two sections from Maurice Ravel's suite "Le Tombeau de Couperin", Robinson says, "Ravel’s musical trademarks are all here, his elegance and wit, his use of incredible speed tempered with distinctive clarity, and his orchestration that is subtle and transparent yet bold and complex. The DT dancers have really given me such inspiration. It's been a joy to see them explore their way through this wonderful score with me."
Dance Theatre Director Lana Kay Rosenberg and Margret Donohue, DT alumna 2006, have combined their talents to produce a solo for Margaret using the music of Young Mozart. and life goes on… explores the frustration in dealing with serious life issues and trying to resolve them so the strength to “go on” is absorbed and the dancer feels she can move forward with her life. A sofa serves as the focal point of the frustration and this home base takes a serious beating in the process of providing support and solace.
Hauna Viox, a senior Art Education and Photography major from Cincinnati, choreographed A Little More…Time. Using the music of Yann Tiersen and Billy Porter, the dance portrays the struggle of an alcoholic as seen through his daughter’s eyes. The daughter speaks of the pain and the hurt of the hard life this disease has caused him and reassures him she will always be proud to be his daughter. She wishes, however, there had been a little more time for her to help heal him instead of letting go.
Bridgette Rawlins, a junior Microbiology major from Columbus, OH, choreographed Black Tambourine that explores the energy, ambiance, superstitious, and spiritualistic culture of New Orleans. The dance reflects how important rhythm and soul is to this famous Southern city. The dancers loosely represent the "lost-souls" or spirits that supposedly roam there, as it is known for its cemeteries, traditions, and ghost stories. The pulsing rhythm and strong lyrics of Beck’s songs embody the tough, edgy, slightly gothic, dark-romantic side of New Orleans.
Kalina Hillard, a junior from Grand Rapids, OH, is an Interdisciplinary Business Management major with a legal studies track and a double minor in International Business and Russian. She makes her debut as a choreographer with The Taunting, inspired by the infamous seven deadly sins. The dance includes an numerous music genres ranging from classical to tango and uses selections from “Matrix Revolutions” and “Nightmare Before Christmas”. Each projects a different mood with the music and dancers exploring a dark topic as one girl becomes consumed by her sinful behavior.
Sami Ackard is a sophomore from Columbus, OH majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. Playing With Pain is her debut work for the company.. The dance is inspired by the many works and ideals of silent movie genius Charlie Chaplin, who brought humor and relief to so many human beings when they needed it most. Dancing in a quartet to music composed by Kate Nash, she delves into the little joys in life and shares with the audience the energetic and playful movement Chaplin exemplified. Because, for one “to truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it.” –Charlie Chaplin.
Kelly Godfrey, freshman Marketing major from Camarillo, CA, choreographed Finding the Courage, her first dance for Dance Theatre. It is about finally being able to say that one thing you’ve never been able to say. It is about confronting the fear of rejection, confrontation, or whatever it may be for someone personally. Ryuichi ‘s music inspired this theme because of its soft beginning leading into a build of sharper, louder sound, and culminating in a dramatic ending.
There was a TalkBack after the Saturday evening concert.
Spring Concert 2010
Miami University’s Dance Theatre presented its annual Spring Concert on Saturday, April 24 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, April 25 at 2 PM in Hall Auditorium on the Oxford campus. Dance Theatre’s eclectic style continues to include elements of many dance forms—from modern to modern ballet to jazz. The concert featured music that ranged from Philip Glass to J S Bach to Etta James to audio from 1950’s commercials.
Lana Kay Rosenberg, Dance Theatre director, set Tutu Tap incorporating ballet and tap dance movement vocabularies. The dancers contributed choreography to the dance as well and Rosenberg spent time editing the movement and the sound, as the tap rhythms drove the movement. Charlotte Stauffer, Miami sophomore, designed costumes for the dance and Margaret Donohue, Miami Research Associate, was the tap soloist.
Gregory Robinson, formerly Artistic Associate for Dayton Ballet, returned to set a contemporary work, Vessels, an abstract dance for seven, which used music from the Philip Glass film soundtrack "Koyaanisqati". Robinson states: "The formal structure of the music, the way Glass features the human voices with and against the strings and woodwinds creates a marvelous sound environment with a seeming three quarter (waltz) tempo and an arid openness. It became a wonderful inspiration to create a work that celebrates the talents of the members of DT."
Judith Mikita has been on the faculty of UC/CCM since 1995. 5 Arc-Shaped Subphrases investigated the math of dance: phrases of movement divided into compositional factors. 5 Arc-Shaped Subphrases added an original score composed by the director of the UC/CCM electronic music department, Mara Helmuth, plus hanging set pieces designed and constructed by MU Architecture candidates. Arc-shaped Subphrases is a term used by the composer in musical analysis. It is functional in describing our process in constructing this dance. This is the fifth dance Mikita has choreographed for DT; therefore, 5’s are important in this work.
Margaret Donohue works full-time as a Research Associate for Miami’s Division of University Advancement. She graduated from Miami in 2006 and was a member of Miami University’s Dance Theatre. Ma is as selfless as I am is a visual representation of what Margaret refers to as the irony of selfishness. With the use of a mirror and frame, various body facings, and a deliberate movement vocabulary, she shows that while one is consumed with self, they fail to reflect internally – Jane Austen wrote, “I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle.”
Lisa Walsh, Dayton, OH senior History and Economics major and French minor set Cello Suites for 3 dancers. Each dancer appears physically different yet when they dance together a succinct ensemble is created. The audience can see differences in their bodies, the different muscles engaged to create the picture presented. The continuous movement is tiring; we hear the dancers breathing, hear their feet slap the floor; see the sweat come off of their bodies. Bach’s cello music pushes the dancers to explore the physicality that is dance.
Carolann Crittenden, Elgin, IL senior Marketing major set a jazz inspired work set to music from “The Mask” soundtrack and the fabulous Etta James. The Woman in Red shows that he beauty of a woman can stop you in your tracks; everyone is caught up in their busy lives, but if they see someone they find attractive they will always take time to look and wonder.
Lauren Schaeffer is a senior Mass Communications major and a European Areas Studies and History double minor from Perrysburg, OH. Her dance, Plastic Makes Perfect is about:
“Oh I believe in the marriage of silence and love
And I still need some patience to grasp it all
I hope I won't forget these feelings fading off in time
Trapped behind my face and burning in my mind” –“The Marriage”, Elisa
Hauna Viox, a junior Art Education/Photography major from Cincinnati, OH, choreographed You Were There. Using the music of Suzanne Ciani and Ryandan, the dance portrayed the true meaning of friendship. When people share a strong bond of mutual understanding, respect and love, it lays the foundation for an everlasting friendship that gets stronger with time; the trust and attachment between the two people grows.
There was a TalkBack after the Saturday evening concert.
