Dancescape

Nov. 15, 2004 -- Washington University Dance Theatre (WUDT), the annual showcase of professionally choreographed works performed by student dancers, will present Dancescape, its 2004 concert, Dec. 3-5 in Edison Theatre.

David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Servies

Renowned choreographer Gus Solomons jr, distinguished visiting professor at Washington University, created a new work while in residence this fall. The piece, titled "Taunting the Monster," will premiere Dec. 3-5 as part of Dancescape, Washington University Dance Theatres 2004 concert.

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Performances — sponsored by the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences — begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3 and 4, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. Edison Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. Tickets are $12, $8 for students, senior citizens and Washington University faculty and staff, and are available through the Edison Theatre Box Office and all MetroTix outlets. For more information or to order tickets, call (314) 935-6543.

Dancescape will feature 30 dancers, selected by audition, performing seven works by faculty and guest choreographers. The program will include two pieces set by Gus Solomons jr and Donald Mahler, both nationally renowned choreographers who served as visiting artists this fall.

Solomons' Taunting the Monster, a world premiere for nine dancers, grew out of improvisational exercises based on whispering and conversation. Solomons, a leading figure in postmodern and experimental dance, often employs improvisation as a way to generate movement while tailoring works to his dancers' personalities and preferences.

"If dancers are comfortable, chances are the piece will work," Solomons explained. Conversely, "if dancers look like robots trying to obey commands, it doesn't work, however profound the choreography."

Mahler, former director of ballet for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, has enlisted eleven dancers to re-set excerpts from Dark Elegies (1937), a classic piece on the theme of grieving by Antony Tudor (1909-1987). Mahler, who trained with Tudor as a student at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School, is an authority on the renowned British choreographer. (The presentation is made possible with support from the PAD's Jeter Dance Fund and Worseck Dance Fund.)

Also featured are works by five faculty choreographers:

* 9.8 m/sec2: Six female dancers employ a variety of floor techniques — many typically associated with male dancers — in this exploration of gravity and acceleration choreographed by David W. Marchant, senior artist-in-residence.

* A Stolen Didactic Coup in a Novel Manner on Tracing Paper, Primarily a Cry for Help from the Contrition Period. Christine Knoblauch-O'Neal, senior artist-in-residence and director of the PAD's Ballet Program, choreographs four dancers in this wittily satiric look at dance styles ranging from ballet and modern to jazz, ho-downs and Riverdance.

* Dream: Cecil Slaughter, artist-in-residence and director of WUDT, choreographs this piece for 11 dancers set to music by Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Temptations and Cee Lo Green. Slaughter explains that Dream "is about evolution of spirit and society," and symbolizes "the connection of the past and future, empowering the present."

* Potencies: Mary-Jean Cowell, coordinator of the Dance Program, choreographs this new work for 11 dancers, which she describes as "a dance of energies concealed, energies revealed explosively, and energies released voluptuously."

* Thin Walls: Adjunct faculty member Dawn Karlovsky directs seven dancers in this re-staged piece, originally commissioned by Dance St. Louis as part of its Contemporary Moves 2004 concert. Karlovsky explains that Thin Walls is "inspired by perceptions and attitudes of city life, where the boundaries between private and public become indistinguishable."

	David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Servies
	"Taunting the Monster"
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	David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Services
	"Taunting the Monster"
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	David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Servies
	"Potencies"
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