Don’t let the name fool you: “Baguettes, Sackbuts and Mazurkas” is serious stuff. Translated, it means drumsticks, trombones and triple meter dance forms, all of which are present in the University dance department’s next performance.
The concert of music and dance, featuring faculty, alumni, musicians and composers in the department, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday night. It will feature a smorgasbord of music ranging from marimba to East European and dance from contemporary to post-modern.
One thing that sets this concert apart from others is that the entire show is coordinated and produced by students. It is the culminating project for Jenifer Craig’s production class, which studies event production from when to pull the lights to where to put the marimba.
“It’s a great idea,” said Craig, chairwoman of the dance department. “The students producing it make it very one-of-a-kind.”
Also making the concert unique is the line-up. All of the musical performers are either University alumni or faculty. The concept was to blend various styles of dance and music together, which is something that was accomplished mainly by David Burrow, the concert’s artistic director.
Burrow, an instructor in the dance department, earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and has had success in the past with mixing the two different media. He both choreographed and composed for the show and will perform on multiple instruments as well. One of his favorite pieces features him on the timpani, performing a song written by Saul Goodman, who was the principal timpanist for the New York Philharmonic.
“My teacher studied under Saul,” Burrow said, “so in a musical sense, it’s a dedication to him.”
Burrow also advised the audience to watch for a piece called “Napoleon’s Bake Sale,” a performance art piece that he choreographed. “It’s an interesting little nugget thrown in there,” he said.
The music covers a lot of ground, stylistically. The pieces’ composers include J.S. Bach, Frank Zappa and Baroque. Each piece will be performed by a small group of musicians, whereas most pieces were intended for larger groups.
The dancing also features an amalgamation of different styles. One such dance is Sherrie Barr’s “Blue Man Sings,” a piece of contemporary dance inspired by a trip to Morocco and set to a marimba solo.
“It’s always exciting being involved with a project like this,” Barr said. “The production class is a unique experience.”
The concert will be held at the Dougherty Dance Hall in rooms 353 and 354 of the Gerlinger Annex on campus. The show begins at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. General admission is $10, and admission for students and seniors is $5.