SARAH WUELLNER, Asst. Sports Editor— Moving Resiliency, a live contemporary dance recital showcasing Denison Dance majors and minors performed May 6, 7, and 8. The show opened in the Sharon Martin Hall of the Eisner Center for the Performing Arts. The Performance I opened with a contemporary piece choreographed and performed by Wynn Reed. The recent alumnas performed their piece Keep. Capture. Continued. The solo work sparked from the lonesome constraints of the pandemic. The movement was rehearsed by Reed at home and in the Biological Reserve. Reed has a passion for sensed experience and spontaneous movement that opened the recital.
The following ballet performance featured Noelle Boyages ‘21 and was to the tune by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker Op. 71 performed by the National PHilharmonic Orchestra & Richard Bonynge. The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa/Lev Ivanov. Boyages learned the piece when she was 15 and she brought the symbolism of childhood dreams and hope to the dance floor.
The following piece Contradictions in Grace choreographed and performed by Sebastian Goodman ‘23 featured a combination of choreographed and improvised dance from the ongoing studio research Sebastian formulated in each field. The piece was created within the studio course taught by Dr. Shanahan “Choreographic Investigations” where focus was put on developing solo choreography.
The final piece titled selves we disguised as sunlight brought Denison dancers to the stage including Grace Han ‘24, Cat Henning ‘24, Kat Killian ‘24, Emma Margo ‘23, Moureen Mathenge ‘23, Olivia Ogilvie ‘23 and Fiona Shepherd ‘23. The ensemble piece was choreographed by Molly Shanahan and the students.
This last piece was created within Contemporary Dance and Performance, a Department of Dance Studio course that meets four days a week for two hours which leads up to a final performance. The dancers were encouraged to explore approaches to dance that change the perspective of the audience and bring together the ensemble throughout the piece.
For Live Dance Performance II on May 7 featured another piece No Standing on the Sidelines performed by Erin Anderson ‘23, Kat Boyd ‘21, Kyra Colah ‘21, Sebastian Goodman ‘23, Samuel Jo ‘21, Ravi Johnson ‘24, GiGi Jones ‘21, Abby Masturzo ‘23 and Becca Skolnick ‘22. The piece was created by Associate Professor Ojeya Cruz Banks and student-dancer collaborators. The creative assistant was Gaquise Jones ‘21. The performance follows the Denison Forward through antiracist initiative as it seeks to depict civic engagement with American racism. The piece draws on discomfort by tackling cultural appropriation and building connections.
Moving Resiliency featured performances by various artists from the Denison Dance Department to showcase their final recital of the year.