Scene: North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 72, Ed. 1 Friday, February 16, 2007 Page: 8 of 12
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8 Scene/NT Da ly
Arts
February 16, 2007
Faculty dance recital brings emotion to the stage
By Rachel Slade
Contributing Writer
Bare feet pad across a cool stage.
Hips twist, heads turn and arms pose
expectantly as the audience waits for
the first note.
The faculty dance concert, fea-
turing eight works by seven chore-
ographers, will premiere at 8 p.m.
tonight in the Radio, TV, Film &
Performing Arts Building.
"The arts take us out of our ev-
eryday sense of complacency," said
Mary Lynn Babcock of the dance
faculty and choreographer for the
performance. "We are moved to the
edge of our seats because of the im-
mediacy of dance, the presence of
dance, the lived body."
Dances range in style from a clas-
sic Indian dance style, to ballet, jazz
and modern, with music selections
ranging from George Gershwin to
Radiohead.
"We look for variety in the compo-
sition of the total dance concert pro-
gram, but good quality artistic work
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Justin Tennison / NT Daily
Faculty of the department of dance and theatre perform a
preview of the Faculty Dance Concert Thursday night in the
Radio, Television, Film & Performing Arts building.
phers.
Jacob is
a dancer
and cho-
reogra-
pher in
the tra-
dition of
Bharata
Natyam.
Her
piece,
"Shan-
ti," has a
theme of
peace,
and fo-
is our main criteria no matter what
styles of dance are presented," said
Robin Lakes of the dance faculty
and artistic director of the concert.
Alpana Jacob and Ellie Leonhardt
were chosen by the dance depart-
ment chair and faculty members to
be the concert's guest choreogra-
n
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v
cuses
on the
dancers' connection to harmony.
Leonhardt recently moved to Den-
ton from San Francisco. Her piece,
"Riding on the Sea," is a modern
dance themed around a homesick
tribute to the ocean.
"We look for artists who will en-
rich the artistry, technical skill and
performance qualities of the student
dancers," Lakes said. "We want the
dance students to have a growth ex-
perience with any and all choreogra-
phers with whom they work."
Preparations began with open
auditions in August for students
enrolled in at least one dance tech-
nique class. For some of the dancers,
rehearsals began immediately.
Including her own piece, stu-
dent choreographer Leah Perison,
Rowlett senior, is performing in
four dances. Perison's piece, which
she said reveals the passionate, fi-
ery spirit that lies beneath a mod-
est woman's exterior, will also be
performed at the American College
Dance Festival at Texas Christian
University next week along with
Babcock's dance.
"When mine was chosen, I
screamed with excitement," Perison
said. "This experience has given me
the opportunity to work with amaz-
ing designers that took my piece to
a whole new level."
The creative process for each
choreographer is unique and pres-
ents different challenges for danc-
ers. Babcock describes her personal
style as a mixture of strong, confident
movement and free flow inspired by
current social and political influenc-
es. Choreographers also used their
own dancers as inspiration.
A piece by Hazel Sabas-Gower of
the dance faculty, "Deconstructing
Gershwin," is a revised version of a
ballet she originally choreographed
for a 1999 competition in Paris.
"The new piece is inspired by the
youthful energy and creativity of
the NT students I have been work-
ing with," Sabas-Gower said. "They
represent the generation of today:
youthful, daring and spontaneous."
Teresa Cooper of the dance fac-
ulty, required her dancers to per-
form strengthening exercises and
rehearse in the pool for her piece,
"Project 42: The Water Project."
Dancers in dance faculty member
Shelley Cushman's piece use props
ranging from chairs to guns and
sheets for "En I Me."
"Students gain somuchfromdanc-
ing in the faculty dance concerts,"
Babcock said. "They learn self dis-
cipline, they learn about heightening
their sense of artistry and they find
that their 'voice' in performing is
transforming."
Audience members will have the
opportunity to question the chore-
ographers during a talk-back forum
after tonight's performance.
Other show times include 8 p.m.
Saturday evening and a Sunday mat-
inee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for
adults and $7.50 for students, seniors
and NT faculty and staff.
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online at:
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The Learning Center H
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Scene: North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 72, Ed. 1 Friday, February 16, 2007, newspaper, February 16, 2007; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145427/m1/8/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.