Student Choreographers in Spotlight
4 March 2018 Student Choreographers in Spotlight
Showcasing the original choreography of nine HWS dance majors and minors, the annual and widely-popular Junior/Senior Choreographers Concert will be held on campus Thursday, April 2 and Friday, April 3. Titled Perspectives and presented by the HWS Dance Department, both shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Winn-Seeley Gymnasium.
Performing their original work at this years Junior/Senior Choreographers Concert are: Emily Bower 15, Caroline Demeter 15, Mary Dinan 15, Chiara Favaloro 16, Sarah Feldman 15, Aloysius Kolubah 15, Abbey Rogowski 15, Alexandra Welych-Miller 15 and Kaitley Wozer 15.
Eligible dance majors and minors who have formal coursework in dance composition were invited to propose their choreographic research projects for the concert. Under the mentorship of Dance Department faculty and a regional choreographer, students undertake the rich artistic experience of choreographing their original work.
The result is a collection of strong compositional work that reflects the individual artistry and choreographic voices of our students, says Associate Professor of Dance and Chair of the Dance Department Michelle Ikle.
The first senior choreographers concert premiered in 1996 when dance major Jeanne Schickler Compisi 96 produced a solo concert. In 2010, the dance department opened the annual show to juniors and is now a platform whereby declared junior and senior dance majors and minors who have taken classes in dance composition can perform their work in a formal concert.
Only dances deemed compositionally strong are included in the concert. Students must have proposals approved in the fall semester and there are two showings of works in progress. The department faculty attend the first showing to see the dances in their early phases and offer each choreographer critique on his/her work. An outside reviewer comes to adjudicate the second showing, at which point dances must be finished and mostly polished.
Junior/Senior Choreographers Concert runs 90 minutes long and will be followed by a post-performance discussion with the choreographers. For more information, contact Michelle Ikle atmikle@hws.edu.