April 5, 2006
Dance company presents Spring Works concert in new home
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Repertory Dance Company, which is housed in the Patti and Rusty Rueff Department of Visual & Performing Arts in Yue-Kong Pao Hall, will present its spring concert in the newly opened Nancy T. Hansen Theatre on April 28-29.
The Spring Works 2006 Dance Concert performances are 8 p.m. on April 28-29 and 2 p.m. on April 29. Tickets can be purchased at Loeb Playhouse, Elliott Hall of Music and Pao Hall box offices or by calling (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW, and through Ticketmaster at (765) 743-5151 or online. Tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for students and $6 for children 12 and younger.
Faculty and student choreographers created nine new dance works this semester. Company dancers have been working since January, developing the ideas and visions of the choreographers, said Carol Cunningham, chair of the Division of Dance.
"This concert involves works that explore a range of expression and styles, from a work that takes place in a rectangle of light only 8 feet by 12 feet, to a modern ballet performed on pointe," she said.
The performances are:
• "Boxed In," choreographed by Cunningham, which explores what happens when social formalities between five individuals break down when they are confined to a small space.
• "r-e-f-u-s-e," created by guest choreographer Kim Neal Nofsinger, which is an intense group work examining the spirit's ability to survive in an unsteady world. The title allows the viewer to consider the various meanings of the word "refuse," from the noun meaning garbage, to the verb meaning to decline or reject, and also "re-fuse," to fuse something back together.
• "Walkabout," choreographed by dance faculty member Mary Beth Van Dyke. This modern dance work is choreographed for 19 dancers. Van Dyke translates the spiritual motives and physical challenges people face while undertaking a pilgrimage through movement.
• "Under Foot," created by faculty member Holly Jaycox. It is a modern work that explores the human experience of many levels of awareness. Two platforms in the dance space assist in representing these levels of awareness in both a physical and a psychological way.
• "TrioSolo," a work created by faculty member Marisol Ortiz-Amézquita. This work is a re-arrangement of classical vocabulary seeking to portray both individuality and a need for belonging.
• The modern dance work "Are We There … Yet?" choreographed by Christy Jacobs, a senior from Augusta, Ga., studying interior design with a minor in dance. It is a commentary on how the roles of women have changed yet remained the same over time.
• "Consumed," a modern dance work about manic depression and the emotional pain that extends beyond the bipolar individual to the community of people around them. It was choreographed by Michal Nevitt, a junior from Chesterton, Ind., who is studying fine arts.
• "Last Call," choreographed by Renee Murray, a senior from Chicago studying communication. It is an energetic dance that explores the overpowering emotion of joy through explosive movement with a fun-loving jazz swing style.
• "Every town has an Elm Street," choreographed by graduate student Edward S. Martin III, from Chesterton, Ind. It is a work exploring horror themes. Like horror films, these images can be nightmarish and disturbing, or humorous, depending on the audience's point of view.
Sources: Carol Cunningham, (765) 494-5993, ccunning@cla.purdue.edu
Karla Welchans, Division of Dance, (765) 494-5993, kwelchans@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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