Two Ohio University student dance organizations, the Movement and the Athens Black Contemporary Dancers, are showcasing two spring dance concerts centered on student creativity and expression.
The concertsconcert will be held Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. in Shirley Wimmer Dance Theater in Putnam Hall. Tickets cost $5 for OU students who bring their student identification and $10 for general admission.
“This year, we have 16 student works … so everyone has either choreographed their own solo, or worked with someone else on a duet, or they’re in a piece that’s been choreographed by another student in the org,” Chloe Stocksett, a senior studying dance and psychology and president of the Movement, said.
The Movement is an organization providing a space for students interested in “dance and artistic collaboration through movement,” according to Bobcat Connect. The organization hosts biweekly classes on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Putnam Hall, with each class focusing on a different genre.
Stocksett said students can take as many classes as they want without making a major time commitment.
“Even though I’m dancing all week … I still want to go and take the Movement class,” Stocksett said. “It’s something fun and different, and I think that’s why I was drawn to it. I think it’s just a super awesome opportunity, too, for anyone to just keep dance in their body.”
ABCD focuses on performance and activism, appearing at different campus events, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations and Take Back the Night, an annual event hosted by the Office of Health Promotion to speak out against sexual violence.
The organization encourages dancers to expand their knowledge of dance and express their passion for the art form.
“What makes us really unique is that you can come in with no dance training or (not a lot of) experience, and you usually leave with at least some,” Nia Perez, a junior studying media arts production and the president of ABCD, said. “We usually try to pass down the knowledge and information that we’ve garnered over the years through different dance studios, classes and competitions … you’re also learning how to have better technique.”
Presented by OU’s School of Dance, both organizations spend the second semester preparing for the spring concert, with auditions beginning after winter break and the final performance in March.
Dancers first pitch their ideas to the Movement and ABCD boards through a process called adjudication, presenting their concept and also performing a short excerpt. The boards then determine how each piece will fit into the show.
Because of time constraints, all dances must be 4 minutes or less. This year, 16 pieces were accepted, with a combination of solos, small groups and duets.
“Mostly, we try to take every piece,” Perez said. “There is something really beautiful and magical about being able to showcase your creativity and your art, and this show is one of those shows that you can absolutely do that in.”
One of the student choreographers is Mya Francisco, a sophomore studying dance performance and choreography. After performing in last year’s concert, she is now choreographing her own piece this year.
Her piece "Echoes of You“ is a group dance about the experience of losing a loved one. Throughout the semester, she rehearsed with her dancers to perfect the dance in time for the concert, though her process began much earlier.
“I’ve been choreographing this dance since … August,” Francisco said. “I put it on my dancers at the beginning of January, and it took us about six rehearsals to finish it. We had rehearsals almost every Sunday for two hours.”
Francisco’s experience is just one example of how a student's creativity develops throughout the choreography process. As a result of their hard work and dedication, both organizations aim to present audiences with engaging performances.
“You can expect to see a bunch of different styles and music,” Stocksett said. “Some stuff is serious, some stuff is really fun. It’s a big array of a whole bunch of stuff ... you can take whatever you want from what you see.”
Although the concert showcases a wide range of styles and expressions, Perez said she hopes its impact extends beyond just entertainment.
“I think that the audience members will have a grand time watching such cool pieces (and) such creative ways of expressing yourself,” Perez said. “I’m hoping that they’ll leave there inspired to go create their own pieces of art.”
