Twirling, swaying, gliding — the performers in the University’s winter Dance Quarterly swayed with and without the music and rocked to a rhythm within them.
Every Wednesday of Dead Week, dancers in the School of Music and Dance showcase classwork they created throughout the term at Dance Quarterly. This term, students performed compositional and improvisational dances.
The showcase was hosted by Walter Kennedy, an associate professor of dance who taught composition this term.
“Dance Quarterly is just an informal way to show our creative-based classes, like dance composition and improvisation,” Kennedy said. “It’s also a way to showcase anyone who is working on something performance-wise.”
The program kicked off with a hip-hop piece, followed by an improvisational piece exploring how dancers move with clothing. Afterward, there were solo, group and partner dances.
“There was an emphasis of awareness this term,” Brad Garner, assistant professor of dance, said. His involvement with Dance Quarterly this term was teaching the improvisational dance course that was featured in the showcase. “There is this sense of being watched, and in dance, this is a game. So we explored the ways to play with this.”
Shannon Mockli, an assistant professor of dance, instructed dance majors participating in Dance Quarterly with advanced improvisation.
“One idea we’ve been addressing is states of being and how in improv we can tap into that awareness,” Mockli said to the crowd. “We’ve talked about witnessing and participating, and how it’s about making decisions and acting on impulses. Improvisation is about spontaneity, sparking creativity.”
Dancers performed sketches and assignments formed in compositional and improvisational dance classes this term. Dancers involved in these courses are expected to participate in Dance Quarterly, a sort of final, because the coursework from these classes leads to eventual performance work within the department.
University junior Julia Vickers, who danced during the compositional pieces, boils her performance down to lots of rehearsal and passion for dance.
“This (showcase) is kind of nerve-wracking because it’s your own,” Vickers said. “But it’s more satisfying because it’s creative.”
University senior Katherine Davenport chalked her performance up to lots of communication with her dance partner, research for her solo and just general practice.
“(Dancing) relieves a lot of stress,” she said. “It’s a community here because you get to know everyone in the department. It feels good to just leave everything outside the door and dance.”
[email protected]