AU's Department of Performing Arts will present "Spring Connections: Roundelays & More," a concert that presents a unique blend of dance and theatre this weekend. The performance includes eight dances, choreographed by graduate students and guest choreographers. The styles of the dances vary from very fluid lyrical pieces to more athletic performances.
It is a "world of movement, voice and text," said Sherrie Barr, director of dance at AU.
Barr said she named the concert "Roundelays & More" because "roundelays" is an artistic, poetic term for "refrain." This is appropriate because many of the pieces in the concert have been preformed previously, and have been reworked and recast in order to create a new pieces. She thought it was important for the audience to realize that "the process of creating is not finite."
According to Barr, it is "hip and trendy" in the dance world for pieces to be reworked and recreated in order to keep the legacy of dance alive. This shows that "the process is as in-the-moment as the dance itself," she said.
Peter DiMuro, artistic director for the concert, an artist in residence at AU and a member of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Company in Maryland said the concert is about collaboration and not the content of each individual dance.
"It is about the process of working together on similar problems, one choreographer with another, to help the choreographers get better at their craft," he said.
Last semester, DiMuro was a guest choreographer who brought his work "The Seasons" to life. A reworked version of this dance appears again in the spring concert under the new name "Some Seasons," with a new cast of dancers. DiMuro said he "tightened and changed the tone of the piece." He has reworked it so that it "rearranges your thoughts differently than the original version," he said.
"Some Seasons" incorporates poetic speech by the performers and props, such as a watering can and a gray cloak, into the interpretive dance. This 11-minute performance includes solos and collective movements by seven dancers. The speech of the piece satirizes the expected emotions and activities that go along with each season.
Lauren Mills, a first-year graduate student who performed in "The Seasons" for the fall concert, choreographed a piece for the concert called "Found Acceptance." It is a lyrical dance that uses only a mask and a solo performer to create a beautifully emotional experience.
"By the end of the piece I feel like I accept where I am in life," Mills said.
The concert as a whole is very emotional and "each piece has emotional value," Mills added. She said that the dancers and choreographers are better able to connect with their audience by combining art mediums.
"You can reach more people by using different mediums," Mills said.
The concert's opening piece, "Dawn River," is a solo performed and choreographed by Asanga Domask. She incorporates a piece of pottery into her emotional modern dance, which is influenced by her Sri Lankan background.
"A Book Is a Book, Or Is It More?" is a theatrical number performed to a percussive beat. The dance focuses on the props - books, a chair, and a table. There are solo movements and group "scenes" that help to explore the value of a common object, such as a book.
The concert is part of the DPA's First Friday Series that brings in a panel of speakers to discuss and answer questions on a topic relating to the performance. The First Friday discussion of "Roundelays & More" will be after the Feb. 27 performance. Three members of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange will be there to present, and DiMuro will moderate the discussion. The topic is "Collaborative Choreography."
"Collaborative Choreography means learning different ways you can produce a piece," Mills said. "It breaks usual patterns and looks for different ways that can inspire you to move."
Emily Schmidt, a senior and performer, said this concert has been a "learning experience of how productions come together."
The AU dance community is a small group of graduate and undergraduate students who come from various fields, including business and psychology, said Barr.
"Different backgrounds have found a common ground through dance," Mills said.
Despite their many differences, the dancers have been able to work together to create a spring concert that is sure to inspire a diverse audience.
The performance space at the Greenberg Theatre has added a more professional feel to the production, said Christina Diefenbach, a senior and performer in the concert. "Roundelays & More" also draws support from the artistic direction of DiMuro, and contributions by local artist Helanius Wilkins and the AU graduate students.
