Virtual Dance Performance II to Be Presented By UHM Kennedy Theatre Online
This digital dance concert showcases works created and performed by graduate and undergraduate student dancers and choreographers.
By: A.A. Cristi Mar. 05, 2021
The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Department of Theatre and Dance and Kennedy Theatre present Virtual Dance Performance II.
This digital dance concert showcases works created and performed by graduate and undergraduate student dancers and choreographers and is characterized by a dynamic contrast of styles and themes. Taking the department by surprise, the response to the call for new works to be featured in the production was overwhelming.
The outpouring of interest and creativity could have populated two or more separate dance productions. It made the selection process particularly difficult but also ensures an inspired and multifaceted upcoming dance concert. A combination of dance-media-technology projects, dances performed live from disparate locations, and performances captured for playback come together in Virtual Dance
Performance II which will be streamed online on April 2nd and 3rd at 5:00 p.m. and Saturday April 3rd at 2:00 p.m. There will be a Post-Show Rap (Q&A) following the 5:00 p.m. Saturday performance on April 3rd that all ticket holders are invited to attend.
The program features twenty-eight distinct dance pieces highlighting a wide range of imaginative and innovative student choreography in myriad forms from contemporary to ballet. Concert Director and dance faculty member Peiling Kao selected a mix of graduate student and undergraduate student pieces to be showcased as a part of this production.
A thesis work entitled The Horizon is a Dancing Body, choreographed and performed by senior Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance candidate Marley Aiu, will be performed as part of a trio. When asked about their piece Aiu said, "I am exploring the entanglement of non-binary gender and postmodern dance by using the body as a source of knowledge... I hope the piece can be a launching point for conversations about gender and dance. I want to push the notion that the body is a theoretical and lived space that is our potential, not our limitation." Other undergraduate choreographers chosen to present their work include Loleina Carlos, a BFA candidate in Dance, presenting the solo piece Favorite Book; Isaiah Avilla, a Theatre major in his senior year presenting the solo piece Memories of Life; a joyful solo titled Flare by sophomore Dance major Hannah Archer; and the solo After Class by Reina Yamashita, a junior double-majoring in Kinesiology and Dance. Yamashita describes her piece as, "a fun ballet skit which depicts the cleaning process that now takes place after each in-studio class in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Sometimes, cleaning becomes tedious, and I wanted to show that maybe it can be fun!" The program will also feature works from the undergraduate student choreographers: Madison Audette, Francis Camuso, Kira Magnuson, Christianne Moss, Tahiri Perez, Dulcinea Sabin, Sofía Isabel Sanna, and Candice Sarangay.
Graduate and Ph.D. student choreography selected for Virtual Dance Performance II includes G(r)asping by Amanda Allen and Alaina Meyer's Amor de Frontera and Alaina in Zoomland created with co-choreographer Katelyn Wyatt. Wyatt has three additional original dances in the showcase including the final piece in the production entitled Friends? and describes it as "a light-hearted dance of two people and two dogs who just want to be friends." Rounding out the production are Ph.D. student An Yi's work and graduate student choreographed works by Cherie Gendron, Carla Guajardo, Greta Pearse, Erika Sanchez, and Allan Zablocki.
Streaming tickets for Virtual Dance Performance II are $5-$15 and available online at showtix4u.com/events/kennedytheatre. Contact the Kennedy Theatre Box Office for assistance by calling 956-7655 or via email at ktbox@hawaii.edu.
Join Team BroadwayWorld
Are you an avid theatergoer? We're looking for people like you to share your thoughts and insights with our readers. Team BroadwayWorld members get access to shows to review, conduct interviews with artists, and the opportunity to meet and network with fellow theatre lovers and arts workers.
Interested? Learn more here.
Videos
