Kennedy Theater presents SPRING FOOTHOLDS: TRANSITIONS

By: Feb. 15, 2018
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Kennedy Theater presents SPRING FOOTHOLDS: TRANSITIONS The University of Hawai'i at M?noa's Department of Theatre and Dance rounds out Kennedy Theatre's Primetime 2017/18 Season with Spring Footholds: Transitions. This dance concert showcases the talents of Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Dance candidates as well as undergraduate dance student choreographers and performers with a dynamic contrast of styles and themes. Performances run March 14, 15, 16, and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and March 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. There will be a free Post-Show Rap following the performance on March 16.

The program features seven distinct dances highlighting imaginative and innovative student choreography and performance. The subtitle, Transitions, refers to the conditions we all face daily. The world is always changing, and everyone must find how they fit into this ever-evolving landscape. For some of the performers and choreographers, this concert represents the culmination of their academic career as they transition into the professional world. Others are returning to school and are readjusting to the role as student once again.

MFA candidate, Amy Bukarau, presents her thesis project under the Working Title, "Memoirs." This piece was inspired by an autobiography course Bukarau took in the Spring of 2017 at UH M?noa where she made the connection between writing narratives and choreography. In "Memoirs," four dancers explore themes associated with memory through a mixture of partner and floor-work combining ballroom and modern dance techniques. The choreography calls into question the blending of memory and reality by focusing attention on who is only portraying a memory and who is actually remembering it. Angela Sebastian, a new MFA candidate from the Philippines, performs a solo titled, "Limbo." Sebastian won an award for this dance, which was originally choreographed and performed for a competition in Hong Kong. According to Sebastian, "Limbo" stems from her "frustration as an artist having to engage in popular entertainment because of how difficult it is to be a dancer in the Philippines." She continues, "This is how you get paid, but the work is always the same. Your brain can't evolve that way." In the dance, Sebastian starts seated on a chair and performs movements that distance her from it. But no matter how frantically she tries to pull away, her movements always bring her back to the chair.

Spring Footholds: Transitions also features five other student-choreographed and performed works. Senior Dance major, Ariel Gazarian, choreographed "Swarm Intelligence," which she defines as "the solving of a cognitive problem by two or more individuals who independently collect information and process it through social interactions." Marley Aiu, a Dance and English major at UHM, presents her work, "Vomit, and Other Things We Have No Control Over," based on a lyric poem she wrote in the Fall of 2017 exploring "phobias of vomit, water, and self." Phillip Kapono Aiwohi-Kim performs a solo titled "S.L.I.P. (Slowly Letting it Pass)." This piece, choreographed by Hawaiian Studies major Aiwohi-Kim, reflects the idea that emotions can be expressed through many different dance genres. Amy Pivar is the choreographer of "Where's the Line?" an inquiry about influence, inspiration, and ethics. Lastly, Spring Footholds: Transitions will feature a tap dance choreographed and performed by Robin Worley and students of the Department of Theatre and Dance's Spring 2018 tap dancing class.

Tickets for Spring Footholds: Transitions are available 24/7 online at etickethawaii.com, by phone at (808) 944-2697, and at official outlets. Sales at the Kennedy Theatre Box Office begin on March 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with extended sales hours on show days.

 

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