A reflection of “Rite of Spring,” an investigation of Louis XIV’s propaganda tactics, an examination of Kurt Vonnegut’s drawings—these might sound like standard research projects, but students in the dance department have turned them into works of art.
For the 2016 GW Dance Festival, honors dance students took findings from their thesis research and brought them to life with choreography. The festival, directed by Professor of Dance Maida Withers, features the work of undergraduate and graduate students. Ms. Withers said the students were given autonomy to decide everything from choreography to settings to casts.
“The dance department is geared toward developing creative artists and performance artists,” Ms. Withers said. “For this festival, we’re treating these students like upcoming choreographers with independent companies, and it’s been an exciting thing.”
The dance department usually highlights student talent with the annual DanceWorks tradition. However, Ms. Withers explains she and her students wanted to push their own limits and experiment with different environments and forms. The idea of a three-week festival emerged. Many of the pieces in the festival are long—some up to 25 minutes—and they take place throughout campus to allow the GW community to interact with dance.
(Photo by Logan Werlinger)
“The GW Dance Festival has been a great opportunity to showcase our work in non-traditional, site-specific locations. It allows us to think outside the box and create work we wouldn’t make in a traditional theater setting,” senior Ben Sanders said.
Below is a look at the dances that students have produced for the festival, including a few that you can still catch in the coming week.
(Photo by Eva Gustafson)
RITE by Andrée Beals
Senior Andrée Beals received a Rice Fellowship to Berlin and used her time there to examine the rich history of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” She created “RITE” to reflect her findings. “RITE” premiered at 3 p.m. on April 2.
“The sun hit the walls spectacularly at 3 o’clock, and it was just beautiful,” Ms. Withers said.
The performance eschewed a traditional setting onstage: Instead, Ms. Beals had dancers interact with a metal staircase in the Building J courtyard. The audience watched while listening to a mix of Igor Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du Printemps" and Tan Dun's "Tears of Nature" on personal headphones.
“Removing myself from a traditional stage setting and choreographing a site-specific work helped define my artistic vision. I was able to immerse myself in a rich amount of dance history while also being able to contribute to it,” Ms. Beals said.
(Photo by Logan Werlinger)
The King Who Danced by Ben Sanders
Mr. Sanders, who danced with the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Company for three years, utilized the Corcoran Building’s gilded Salon D’Ore for his piece. The work premiered Friday at 12 p.m. and was repeated at 1:30 p.m.
In it, he performs to music by Jean Baptiste Lully, spoken text from a French Opera produced during Louis XIV’s reign and a modern deconstruction of Baroque court music.
“He’s dressed in a spectacular gold costume, and he explores the creation of ballet as an art form and how it came out of pre-classic dance forms,” Ms. Withers explained.
Mr. Sanders is currently interning at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., which lent him the costume used in the show.
(Photo by Logan Werlinger)
JUNKtion is an evening-length performance that compiles several student pieces, along with the work of guest artist, Laura Halzack, a soloist with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. It will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 14-16 in Betts Theatre. Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for general audiences.
For her piece, “A Horas Somno,” Ms. Halzack casts a group of freshmen to capture the rapid and often chaotic rhythms of sleep.
Senior Alexa Zanikos pays homage to the writer James Joyce in “A Portrait of the Artist.” She treats Mr. Joyce as a mentor and explores how he influenced her own developing artistic voice. Senior Lauren Lamb also connects with a writer in her work “And So It Goes,” created in direct response to the drawings of Kurt Vonnegut. The 17-minute piece is comedic as Ms. Lamb introduces several characters who aren’t afraid to act coarse and unrefined, much like some of Mr. Vonnegut’s art.
(Photo by Logan Werlinger)
“There something about trying not to always look so perfect,” Ms. Withers said. “What she’s after is for the audience to see themselves in these characters and in this vulgar behavior.”
JUNKtion also includes a condensed version of Mr. Sanders’ “The King Who Danced,” as well as “what may last,” by senior Kendall Coniaris. The environmental studies major uses dance to symbolize the persistence of nature during work that Ms. Withers calls subtle.
Upcoming: “upon hearing” by Hannah Ayasse
Hannah Ayasse, a Presidential Fellow in the Arts who is also a psychology major, interviewed strangers about their vulnerabilities for her thesis project. She gathered responses and used the experience to create “upon hearing,” a 25-minute exploration of the role of listening.
“upon hearing” will premiere at 7 p.m. April 22 and at 1 p.m. April 23 in Building J Studio, and audiences can attend for free.
(Photo by Logan Werlinger)