Evening of Dance Showcases Keene State Talents
KEENE, N. H. 3/29/02 - Keene State Dance will showcase student and faculty talents in choreography, dance performance, music, and design at the annual “An Evening of Dance” April 24-27 at the Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond.
Directed by Marcia Murdock, “An Evening of Dance” will feature eight dances, seven choreographed and designed by faculty and students and the eighth dance choreographed by New York City choreographers Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig.
Performances begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, April 24-27, in the Main Theatre. Tickets are $7 for the general public and $5 for KSC faculty, staff, students, senior citizens, and youth 17 and under. Call the box office at 603-358-2168.
The concert includes two dances choreographed by Murdock, who directs the KSC dance program. “Threshold,” an ensemble work for eight dancers set to tango music, suggests a journey to a place where identity is fractured and dependency and obsession are idolized. “Keeping Time,” Murdock’s trio, takes her dancers on a different journey, discovering the fullness of the moment, no matter how fleeting it may be.
Assistant Director William Seigh, assistant professor of dance, choreographed “Riff on Love, Beauty, and Foolishness” based on the poem “Nightclub” by the U.S. poet laureate, Billy Collins. “Three men and three women explore love and the beautiful foolishness of the human heart, dancing to the jazz vocals of Johnny Hartman and the saxophone blues of Sonny Rollins,” explained Seigh.
Laurel Salvi, a KSC dance instructor, created “Soiree of Sisters” for nine dancers to the music of YoYo Ma. Murdock describes the movement as “feisty, fiery, and feminine.”
Junior dance student Aiyana Maye, the 2002 recipient of the Alta Lu Townes Memorial Dance Award, choreographed “Untrustbroken,” as an abstract exploration into the role of trust in life.
Junior students Yoshio Chandler and Lindsay Ide choreographed “Just Hold” as a duet created from two finals (both solos) from a fall semester dance course.
Dance student Kristine Bonin choreographed a solo, which will be performed to the live accompaniment of pianist Megan Illg, a senior music major.
The program will conclude with “Hello Goodbye,” an excerpt from the evening length work “HereAfter” created by Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig and performed Feb. 22 at Keene State at the conclusion of a two-week residency. Local dancers including KSC students performed in “HereAfter,” which used stories narrated by community members.
Céline Perron, associate professor of theatre and dance, is responsible for the overall set and lighting design for “An Evening of Dance.” Costumes for the production are by Elisabeth Toby Roos, assistant professor of theatre and dance, who was assisted by three student designers, Jaime Blinn, Jessa Court, and Daneé Grillo.
