Many Ohio University students live in Athens for four years, but rarely get to see a performance focused on the region's history and culture.
Morgan Chambers, a senior studying dance in the Ohio University Honors Tutorial College, choreographed a dance for her senior thesis that explores Appalachian coal mining culture from 1930 through 1950. The performance is part of the OU's Earth Month events and will open at 8 tonight.
Chambers, whose great-grandfathers were coal miners and grandparents lived in a coal-mining town, said the dance is about her heritage.
As a miner
it's really the idea that they didn't really want to work there but that was the opportunity that was there for them Chambers said.
The piece is titled No. 6, in reference to the numbering system used to identify coal mines. No. 6 is also the number of the Millfield mine in Athens County that exploded on Nov. 5, 1930, killing 82 miners. The last survivor of the Millfield disaster died this year, according to the online Historical Marker Database.
Jessica Deats, a senior studying dance, said that dancing in Chambers' piece made her realize what a strenuous life the coal miners and their families had.
The dance depicts this life by portraying the emotions of coal mining families. Chambers' solo shows the story of the miner's wife, who goes about her day, but never feels completely at ease while her husband is at work.
At one part in the dance, a siren sounds, signaling a mine collapse. Chambers said at this point the women come together in a folkdance to show their support for one another in the grieving process.
In addition to folkdance, movements are incorporated from clogging, buck stepping, Irish folk, African and German dance.
Chambers said she wants the audience to look past Appalachian stereotypes and to come to identify with the people in coal mining communities after seeing the performance.
I'm proud. I enjoy my culture. It's a very old one and a very rich one
she said.
The time for tonight and tomorrow's performance is 8 p.m., not 7 p.m. as originally published. The Post regrets this error.
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Culture
Merete Kenworthy
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Morgan Chambers will perform a dance she choreographed for her senior thesis exploring Appalachian coal mining culture. The free show will be at 7 tonight and tomorrow night in Baker Center Theatre.
