Dancers hit the floor, colliding as they fall onto the linoleum before quickly picking themselves back up. Their movements quicken and intensify as the background music turns into a soft rumbling, mirroring the chaotic yet precise choreography these performers have been practicing for months.
This number, “Cumulonimbus,” is one of many short segments in the Drama Department’s Spring Dance Concert April 9 - 11 at 8 p.m. in the Ruth Caplin Theatre. The show is free to all University students through arts dollars.
A deviation from traditional dance, the show features an interactive contemporary performance.
“With the audience…so close, [the experience is] more interactive in the sense that it’s more personal and intimate. Because we are now seen from so many new angles, it makes the dancers more aware of their presence, creating a 3-D performance,” first-year College student Amy Dalrymple said.
The Drama Department has brought in guest choreographers to stage pieces on the group. This gives the dancers an opportunity to work with talented artists and make each medley their own, catering to the strengths of the group and bringing new meaning to the work.
Contemporary dance is unique in both the arrangement of works and how the general flow of the storyline impacts the audience. To generate this particular sentiment, director Kim Brooks Mata included dance numbers containing everyday objects, such as traffic cones and building blocks. By incorporating these items into the performance, each piece is easier to relate to and allows the world of the performance to connect to the world of the audience.
The performance isn’t just based on the pieces, but on how the dancers interact and move with one another that makes the final product. Fourth-year College student Olivia Howard quoted Isadora Duncan, saying, “‘If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it,’ and that’s what it feels like when we are dancing. It’s an experience that we can’t put into words.”
This interpersonal experience binds these women together, creating a palpable sense of sisterhood, a sensation that appears as you enter backstage. Dance doesn’t discriminate based on age, gender, sex, race or even experience. Being new to the dance community, it can be daunting to perform with strangers, but at the University, that isn’t a problem.
“[When I] came to U.Va., it was amazing to have older people to support me and look after me right away,” first-year College student Gabby Struckell said.
Howard said she embraced the younger talent.
“As a student that is about to leave, it’s wonderful to feel that we are leaving dance in good hands,” she said.
The passion and hard work these women give each number is incredible, and it comes out on stage. From the synchronous coordination of the whole group to the small, individual hand, finger and let movements, the performance is equally captivating and impressive.
As each piece has greater symbolism woven in, the audience is encouraged to come with an open mind, prepared for beauty and sheer amazement from these gifted, determined and unbelievable dancers.
Arts & Entertainment was able to stop by before the performance and ask Howard, Dalrymple, first-year College student Tori Spivey, second-year College student Mackenzie Regan and second-year Batten student Kelsey Keverline about the upcoming performance.
A&E: What should people expect from this performance that may be different from other ones?
Regan: It’s a high-energy show and the music is very engaging. [A specific piece,] “Re:Bound,” [features] international dances, which is cool to be a part of an effort to bring that global experience to the U.Va community.
A&E: Can you go into the practices, and how you all train for the show?
Dalrymple: When we first get into the pieces, its kind of fun because we don’t know what the final outcome will be. When we start on that journey...it’s a lighthearted environment, which makes it easier to take risks and have faith in those risks.
Spivey: It’s fun to see how different choreographers work differently and how they work with different ideas and perspectives.
Regan: You all are in the space together and passionate about one thing. People come to watch and it puts a smile on your face. It’s nice to be in a space where others share the same enthusiasm as the dancers.
A&E: Would you mind elaborating on the on-stage experience?
Keverline: I’m in a piece that’s completely improvised. You have to interact with other dancers and everything that’s going on on-stage. What you have to do is … share weight to move other dancer’s centers as a kind of equilibrium exercise.
A&E: Is there anything else you would want to mention about the show or the cast?
Howard: Our faculty is amazing and we have one full time and two part time [directors]. They are some of the most dedicated and undervalued individuals. They give a lot of time and even interact with us outside of class. They help set the tone that we get to explore as dancers.
Dalrymple: We have a hardworking cast and crew. Our tech people are amazing and its great to see how it comes together. It may look like dancers, but there are many people behind the scenes that make it happen.
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