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Best of the Appalachian Dance Ensemble

March 25, 2021 | 8:00 pm - 9:15 pm

Best of Appalachian Dance Ensemble

photo by Lynn Willis

This virtual best-of showcase from Appalachian State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance features nine works from faculty choreographers, including Emily Daughtridge, Chris Yon, Susan Lutz, Regina Gulick, Kevin Warner, Cara Hagan, Ray Miller, Brad Parquette, and Sherone Price, danced by App State student performers.

All curated works were produced between 2011-2019 and highlight genres of modern dance, tap dance, dance of the African diaspora, and dance theatre. The selected works feature not only beautiful dancing and well-crafted choreography, but also lighting design by Mike Helms and John Marty, and costume design by Sue Williams. Videography by Bill Pivetta.

REPERTOIRE

Elegy (excerpts, 2016), choreographed by Regina Gulick, navigates the unpredictable junctures in life, wrought with shock, loss, sorrow, grief, breaking open, pushing, forcing through cracks in a wall of concrete, and letting go. “It is not the twist and turns in life which mold us, but how we take and handle what’s thrown at us.”

Sanctuary (excerpts, 2018), choreographed by Ray Miller, pays tribute to the students and teachers who survived the Stoneman Douglas high school shooting that left 17 dead and 17 others wounded in Parkland, FL. Warning: There are gunshot sounds as part of the sound score for this piece.

Replaceable (excerpts, 2011), choreographed by Susan Lutz, is based on the idea that all of us sometimes have to wait our turn to be seen, recognized, and appreciated — but in the end we all find our times to shine. 

Hearts Beat (for B&T) (excerpts, 2019) is a collection of short dances by Chris Yon that experiments with syntax, humor, and pathos in an invented physical language. By way of a collaborative process with the dancers of shuffling, changing and rearranging movements, they arrived at couplets, slogans, incantations, rumors, myths and spells that are danced in code. “Hearts Beat” is a secret love letter from Chris to his daughter Beatrix and his partner Taryn.

curved beneath the yoke (2017), choreographed by Brad Parquette, is a response to his thoughts about the resilience of women in the face of societal, political and religious oppression. Dancers in the piece contributed movement invention to the process of creating this dance. Evocative lighting by John Marty and elegant costuming by Sue Williams become integral components of this piece.

Yantra (excerpts, 2013), with choreography by Emily Daughtridge, was inspired by her experiences traveling in India in March 2012. Her inspiration is drawn from acts of devotion, trust & traffic, patterns of design and flow, and meditation mandalas known as yantras. 

Another Country (excerpts, 2016), choreographed by Sherone Price, is a work about the pain often inflicted on people of color through beating, imprisonment and more often loss of life. Price says, “Being a black man, this work forced me to use my voice through movement to speak out against the wrongdoings not just in this country but in this world. Peace should be shared by all, not a few.”

Greatest Show (excerpts, 2016) is a theatrical dance work by Kevin Warner that celebrates the tradition of the American circus. Side show and three-ring acts “perform” for the audience in this whimsical piece.

Tiny Potato on the Train (2016) is a joyful tap piece created by Cara Hagan in collaboration with her dancers.


Michael Helms, Chair, Dept. of Theater and Dance:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit all of us hard. It has been especially hard for those of us who work and teach in the performing arts. Our theatres have been silent for some time now as live productions have been halted across the country.

So we are delighted at this opportunity to team up with our partner, The Schaefer Center Presents, for the opportunity to bring this virtual dance showcase to you. It represents a cross section of some of our best dance works from the past, choreographed by our talented faculty and performed by our wonderful students.

This concert is the collaborative effort of dancer, choreographer, designers and videographers. All working together in the creation of moving art. That is what we do. We make art. The arts make us. The arts sustain life. That is what we need right now…more than ever.”

Schaefer Center Presents Virtual Event logo

LOCATION: Online event; a private link to access the event will be emailed to all registrants both the day before and one hour prior to event. 
DATE/TIME: Thursday, March 25 at 8pm; 75 minutes
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Box Office at
theschaefercenter@appstate.edu
800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
Closed captioning is available for this event. Please enable CC on the YouTube video.
Appalachian is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability contact the Office of Disability Resources (828.262.3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.

Event is FREE, but registration is required. Online registration will close 3 hours prior to event. Late registrants must call the Box Office directly at 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046.

Or register by calling the Box Office directly at 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046.

A private link to access the event will be emailed to all registrants both the day before and one hour prior to the event. ***Please check your spam folder and Gmail Promotions tab if you do not receive the emails.***

Thanks to the generous support of both corporate and individual sponsors like you, the Schaefer Center Presents is able to offer the spring series free of charge and continue to remain a strong and vibrant resource to our community. Please consider making a gift of any amount to help offset the cost of bringing these exciting artists to our series.

Best of Appalachian Dance Ensemble
Best of Appalachian Dance Ensemble

Above: From Elegy, choreographed by Regina Gulick, Spring Appalachian Dance Ensemble 2016
Photo credit: Lynn Willis

At right: From curved beneath the yoke, choreographed by Brad Parquette, Spring Appalachian Dance Ensemble 2017
Photo credit: Lynn Willis

We would like to thank our corporate, hotel and media sponsors for their generous support.


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Details

Date:
March 25, 2021
Time:
8:00 pm - 9:15 pm
Event Categories:
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