Dance Close-Up

Aug. 13, 2004 -- Ballet and modern dance will share the stage with Indian Bharata Natyam and multi-media work in Dance Close-Up, an intimate presentation of new and original choreography by faculty in the Dance Program in Washington University's Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences.

Photo by David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Services

Christine Knoblauch-O'Neal performs "Black, Pearls and Harry" as part of the 2004 "Dance Close-Up" Concert Sept. 9-11.

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Performances begin at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9, 10 and 11, in the Annelise Mertz Dance Studio, located in Room 207, Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd.

Tickets are $14 for the general public and $10 for students, senior citizens and Washington University faculty and staff. Floor-mat seating — in keeping with the event's informal atmosphere — is available for $6. Tickets are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office, located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, and through all MetroTix outlets. For more information, call the Box Office at (314) 935-6543.

Launched in 1995, the now-biannual event (it alternates with Young Choreographers' Showcase, a juried student concert) frequently serves as the unofficial kickoff to St. Louis' professional dance season. In all, this year's installment will feature eight works performed by eight faculty and one guest dancer.

"Dance Close-Up allows dance faculty to share our latest choreographic explorations with students, with one another and with the entire St. Louis community," said artistic director Mary-Jean Cowell, Ph.D., associate professor and coordinator of the Dance Program. "It is unique in St. Louis for presenting such a breadth of dance styles that reflect a wide range of experience and expertise."

David W. Marchant, senior artist-in-residence, and Holly Seitz, a member of the aTrek Dance Collective and on faculty at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA), choreograph and perform Spill, a modern tango set to the music of Astor Piazzolla. Marchant notes that the piece, which premiered at the Touhill Center for the Performing Arts in February 2003, explores "the tension of inexpressible love with a sensuous tone and physically dynamic partnering."

Other dances featured are:

• Sliders: Cowell and Cecil Slaughter, artist-in-residence, choreograph and perform this new duet, set to music by Bobby Troup and Mikhail Glinka. According to the choreographers, the dance explores "vacillating relationships between physical, musical and spatial structures, evoking a continual shift in mood and perspective."

• A Moment in the Passage: Slaughter performs this solo work choreographed by Jennifer Medina, visiting assistant professor of dance at the University of Missouri—Kansas City. "In our life's journey, we often look outside ourselves to find the stamina or even reasoning to continue on the passage," Medina says. "This piece is dedicated to those who truly understand that we ultimately must find the wisdom and courage to stand alone on the path, and to those who are still seeking the answer."

Photo by David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Services

Mary Jean Cowell and Cecil Slaughter perform "Sliders" as part of the 2004 "Dance Close-Up" Sept. 9-11.

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* Devotion: Asha Prem, adjunct instructor, performs this devotional dance in Bharata Natyam style. The piece, set to South Indian music played primarily on the veena (a sitar-like instrument), depicts the dancer's search for blessings from the god Vishnu as she worships at his feet on a beautiful and auspicious morning, asking him to listen to her and accept her with all her defects.

* Reflections: Dawn Karlovsky, adjunct instructor, choreographs and performs this multi-media work-in-progress, in which live dance forms a background to filmed images.

* Blues for J.R.: Broadway veteran Keith Williams, adjunct instructor of Dunham technique, choreographs and performs this "poignant internal look at Jackie Robinson's experience as the first African-American baseball player in a national league." Set to music of Duke Ellington.

* Untitled: This solo work, choreographed and performed by adjunct instructor Mary Ann Rund, explores "the breath cycle as movement inspiration and physical expression."