If you haven't bought your tickets yet, now is the time. The show promises to be a huge hit.
Check out the buzz around town about Danstage 2009
- And more to come...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Danstage 2009 Dress Rehearsal
Photos from the Monday April 27th Dress Rehearsal.
Danstage 2009 opens this weekend.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
god of dirt Preview
Sit in on rehearsal and get a sneak peak at god of dirt, a collaboration between UWSP and Jump Rhythm Jazz Project.
god of dirt
Choreography by Billy Siegenfeld
god of dirt is an earth-honoring folk dance that transcends national cultures. Its percussive, hand-grasping, heavy-booted movement life arises from grafting the swinging, sharp-edged rhythms of Jump Rhythm Technique (tm) onto a suite of yearning, mocking, growling, melancholic, and ecstatic songs created by the boundary-crossing Serb-Croat composer Goran Bregovic. This piece complements JRJP's repertory of universal human stories told through emotion-charged bursts of energy and reflects the company's ongoing commitment to performing the vernacular body-rhythms and beat-driven vocalizations that define the core of true jazz performance. In three forward-moving episodes, god of dirt celebrates the survival tenacity, wry humor, and humility that, in combination, re-connect people to community, their own bodies' wisdom, and the earth's capacity for instruction in this increasingly cyber-driven, technology-dependent world.
Choreography by Billy Siegenfeld
god of dirt is an earth-honoring folk dance that transcends national cultures. Its percussive, hand-grasping, heavy-booted movement life arises from grafting the swinging, sharp-edged rhythms of Jump Rhythm Technique (tm) onto a suite of yearning, mocking, growling, melancholic, and ecstatic songs created by the boundary-crossing Serb-Croat composer Goran Bregovic. This piece complements JRJP's repertory of universal human stories told through emotion-charged bursts of energy and reflects the company's ongoing commitment to performing the vernacular body-rhythms and beat-driven vocalizations that define the core of true jazz performance. In three forward-moving episodes, god of dirt celebrates the survival tenacity, wry humor, and humility that, in combination, re-connect people to community, their own bodies' wisdom, and the earth's capacity for instruction in this increasingly cyber-driven, technology-dependent world.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Angel and the Albatross Preview
Inspired by birds, The Angel and The Albatross examines the collective power of the group while recognizing our instinctual desire to be alone. The lush movement palette balances the delicate, personal gesture with the expansive, athletic footfalls of a group of 18. Avian-inspired costuming and a powerful video installation of clouds passing across the bright sky complete the imaginary environment. The Angel and The Albatross transports the viewer to a world of swooping, darting floor patterns and intimate, gentle relationships.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
A 1/4" below the surface of the earth Preview
In A ¼” below the surface of the earth, choreographer Michael Estanich uses the body as the landscape for fiery physical investigation. The work is designed to challenge the movement habits and physical stamina of the dancers’ bodies and enable them to access their explosive power. Set against a serene installation of hanging wind chimes and circulating air, the dancers navigate complex, high-speed movement patterns with precision and intensity.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Wonderful World of
Oz
Poignant, funny and fierce, Jeannie Hill’s new work, Oz, will lift your spirits and leave you with a song in your heart. Located somewhere between Alice’s Wonderland and Dorothy’s Emerald City ten fantastic females (evocative of Frank L. Baum’s unforgettable characters) sing, swing and romp through an enchanted forest in this slightly twisted version of the archetypal quest for self-discovery. Quirky and compelling, this tap dance tale unfolds through rhythmic confabulation inspired by jazz arrangements of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg’s memorable tunes.
Poignant, funny and fierce, Jeannie Hill’s new work, Oz, will lift your spirits and leave you with a song in your heart. Located somewhere between Alice’s Wonderland and Dorothy’s Emerald City ten fantastic females (evocative of Frank L. Baum’s unforgettable characters) sing, swing and romp through an enchanted forest in this slightly twisted version of the archetypal quest for self-discovery. Quirky and compelling, this tap dance tale unfolds through rhythmic confabulation inspired by jazz arrangements of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg’s memorable tunes.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Ringtone Preview
Choreographer Joan Karlen’s Ringtone offers a glimpse into the juxtaposition between physical contact and mediated, screen communication. Ten dancers loop and weave over a series of ramps creating a network of danced relationships. Projected and live images are mixed in real time creating layers of visual and textural information. Composer Max Richter’s series of compositional ringtones provides melodic counterpoint for the athletic and fluid choreography.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Angel and The Albatross
The Angel and The Albatross is a work that I originally created in 2004. It began my current fascination with the imagery of birds and my deep connection to choreographic space. Rather simplistically, you can see the swooping patterns in the piece as representations of the flock. In making this work, I was inspired by one particular bird--the albatross. The albatross is a large sea bird that spends much of its life in solitude, until it is ready to mate, and then thousands convene on remote, rocky islands to copulate. I became fascinated by the instinctual desire to be alone that these birds possessed. Also, the great freedom that comes with soaring, floating, and riding the wind across the open sea.
In further exploring the solitude of the albatross, I began to think about the collective power of the flock. Their ability to consume and overtake space with darting, dramatic dives in the air. I began to see flocks of birds as mighty armies, unified. Similarly, the 'angel', referred to it the title, represents these same images. I commonly think of angels as singular, etheral creatures, but I began to imagine an army of angels decending from the sky and rebounding almost instantaneouly upward again.
In developing movement sequences for the piece, I noticed a relationship between lofting through the air and wanting to stay connected to the floor. Interestingly, the movement vocabulary balances between the delicacy of internal reflection and the expansive, athleticism of the footfalls of a group of 18.
In the spirit of the historic Doris Humphrey, ideas of group and individual are very present in this dance. The desire to remain oneself while still connecting to the larger group dominates moments in this piece. Originally created for a cast of 8 dancers, I have expanded the work to include 18 talented UWSP dance students.
I began working with the dancers in the autumn semester as part of the freshman repertory experience. A class where the first year students in our program have the opportunity to work together as an ensemble, get to know each other, and learn the demands of a professional rehearsal environment. The work took on a new life. I do not regularly reset previous work, but the vitality and expressiveness the dancers brought to this piece inspired me to continue reimaging the choreographic possibilities of a large ensemble.
The cast for Danstage 2009 includes 9 of the original freshman from the repertory class and 9 new dancers from the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. We are forging a deep and intuitive relationship that I hope will roll off the stage and wash over the audience like a breezy, summer beach day.
In further exploring the solitude of the albatross, I began to think about the collective power of the flock. Their ability to consume and overtake space with darting, dramatic dives in the air. I began to see flocks of birds as mighty armies, unified. Similarly, the 'angel', referred to it the title, represents these same images. I commonly think of angels as singular, etheral creatures, but I began to imagine an army of angels decending from the sky and rebounding almost instantaneouly upward again.
In developing movement sequences for the piece, I noticed a relationship between lofting through the air and wanting to stay connected to the floor. Interestingly, the movement vocabulary balances between the delicacy of internal reflection and the expansive, athleticism of the footfalls of a group of 18.
In the spirit of the historic Doris Humphrey, ideas of group and individual are very present in this dance. The desire to remain oneself while still connecting to the larger group dominates moments in this piece. Originally created for a cast of 8 dancers, I have expanded the work to include 18 talented UWSP dance students.
I began working with the dancers in the autumn semester as part of the freshman repertory experience. A class where the first year students in our program have the opportunity to work together as an ensemble, get to know each other, and learn the demands of a professional rehearsal environment. The work took on a new life. I do not regularly reset previous work, but the vitality and expressiveness the dancers brought to this piece inspired me to continue reimaging the choreographic possibilities of a large ensemble.
The cast for Danstage 2009 includes 9 of the original freshman from the repertory class and 9 new dancers from the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. We are forging a deep and intuitive relationship that I hope will roll off the stage and wash over the audience like a breezy, summer beach day.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Welcome to the Danstage 2009 Blog
This is the place to follow along with this year's production and get inside information about the show, including videos and photos from rehearsal and commentary from the choreographers, stage manager and dancers.
So what is Danstage?
It is the annual spring dance production at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The choreography is created by UWSP dance faculty and guests artists. From year to year each show is a unique and excellent experience for the students, faculty and community.
Danstage 2009 with choreography by
Michael Estanich, Jeannie Hill, and Joan Karlen
and featuring
god of dirt, UWSP premiere
by guest choreographer, Billy Siegenfeld
artistic director, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project
May 1- 7:30 p.m.
May 2- 7:30 p.m.
May 3- 2:00 p.m.
May 7- 7:30 p.m.
May 8- 7:30 p.m.
May 9- 7:30 p.m.
Jenkins Theatre, Noel Fine Arts Center
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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