Hobart and William Smith Colleges

17 March 2009 Artist in Residence

The Dance Department of Hobart and William Smith Colleges will present Jody Sperlings Time Lapse Dance Company in a teaching and performing residency for four days in March. New York City-based artistic director and choreographer Sperling has been praised by The New York Times dance critic Jack Anderson as a choreographer who made dance an art of transformation, while The Village Voice labels her performances magical, and exquisite. Best known for her pieces which celebrate modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller, Sperlings Time Lapse Dance Company juxtaposes historic reconstructions with eclectic, postmodern, and often humorous dances which have been described as witty and fun.

Sperling holds a masters degree in performance studies from New York University and a bachelors degree in dance and Italian from Wesleyan University. She first encountered Fullers contribution to dance in a dance history course at Wesleyan, and has since gained an international reputation as an expert on Fuller and as an interpreter of her style of dancing.

While on campus, Sperling will conduct a master class in modern dance technique from 11:50 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25 in the Winn Seeley Dance Studio. As part of the dance class, Sperling will demonstrate some of Fullers techniques for manipulating fabric to create nature-inspired images, and guide students through this process.

Following the master class, Sperling will be a guest lecturer on Fuller in Professor Cynthia Williams Dance History II class, held from 1:25 2:50 p.m. in the Winn Seeley classroom.

In addition to the Wednesday classes, Sperlings company will perform a lecture demonstration at North Street Elementary School in Geneva on Thursday. Among Sperlings Time Lapse Dance company dancers is William Smith alumna Emily Lutin 05 who joined Sperlings company in 2007. Lutin, a double major in dance, and arts and education, is thrilled to be returning to Geneva as a professional company member; Dance Department faculty are equally pleased to welcome her back.

The companys visit to Geneva will culminate in a dance concert at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 27 in Winn Seeley Gym Theater. Featured on the program will be the Loie Fuller inspired Debussy Soiree and Ghosts, along with a contemporary work titled Bang for the Buck.

Tickets are available at the box office beginning one hour prior to curtain: general admission $7, Hobart and William Smith faculty and staff $5; tickets for students and children are $3. The residency is sponsored in part by the New York State DanceForce, with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts Dance Program and Altria Group, Inc. For information or to register for the master class, please contact Cynthia Williams at (315) 781-3495, or e-mail her at Williams@hws.edu

The photo above was taken by Julie Lemberger.