GOUCHER COLLEGE
VOL. 30, NO. 1 | SPRING 2014
a student publication of the goucher college dance department
A Week with Nilas Martins By Julia Larcenaire ’16
(above) The cast of George Balanchine’s Episodes with Nilas Martins (photo credit: Cuong Nguyen ’14)
Nilas Martins, this semester’s ballet guest artist in residence, was born into the ballet world. His mother was a dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet. His father, Peter Martins, was a principal dancer with both the Royal Danish Ballet and the New York City Ballet (NYCB), and was chosen by Balanchine to become his successor as director of NYCB, a job that he still holds today. It was a pleasure to welcome Nilas to the Goucher Dance Department to set two historic works.
The first work Martins set is an excerpt from Episodes, which premiered in 1959 as a collaboration between Balanchine and Martha Graham. Goucher dancers learned the Balanchine section, which is performed today independently of Graham’s section. The ballet is one of Balanchine’s “black and white ballets,” so named for the minimal costumes of black leotard and pink tights and the focus on the movement of the dancers’ bodies rather than a story or characters.
It is a rare treat to be taught a Balanchine ballet, as the deconstruction reveals the intricate patterns and the geometry of the stage that showcase his artistic genius. Martins stressed that this ballet is really all about the architecture. There is an exciting pas de deux, filled with fast footwork, lunging pelvises, and soft port de bras, which is framed by 14 corps dancers whose angular poses and strong movements highlight the beauty of the principal couple.
A Week With Nilas Martins continued on p. 3 1
From Roehampton to Goucher Maya Pindar GOUCHER COLLEGE
a student publication of the goucher college dance department
Faculty Adviser: Juliet Forrest
As a dance student coming from Roehampton University, London, to the U.S.A., I am incredibly excited to be studying at Goucher College for my semester abroad. When I found out that one of my best friends at Roehampton was also coming to Goucher to study dance, I was ecstatic. Eszter Szalma and I arrived at Goucher a little over a month ago, and we have yet to find any reason to regret our decision in coming here. One of the most fundamental differences between Goucher and Roehampton is Goucher’s strong sense of community amongst both students and staff. Eszter and I have both found the friendly support and genuine interest of our classmates and other students very refreshing; I don’t think I’ve ever been to a friendlier school. Making friends has not been difficult, either, especially since having an English accent is a brilliant icebreaker: People instantly want to know more about our lives at Roehampton when they find out we are from England. The Dance Department at Goucher has been extraordinary so far. Every class we attend (and we are taking well over 32 credits’ worth of dance classes between us) has been inspiring and challenging in very different ways. The biggest difference we’ve noticed about the Goucher Dance Department is the huge emphasis on ballet training, which we haven’t received at Roehampton. Roehampton focuses much more on modern training rather than grounding us in ballet. Every dancer will study Graham, Cunningham, Limón, Release, Contact Improvisation, as well as ballet at Roehampton, which helps develop an understanding of the individual pioneering modern techniques. Thus, whilst studying modern at Goucher, it has been easy
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to recognize the different elements of these techniques, which have been amalgamated into the modern classes here. Of course there have been some challenges in traveling so far from home. You’d imagine that since Britons and Americans both speak the same language that besides accent and pronunciation there would be few cultural or social differences. In fact, there are some huge cultural differences, which have taken some time for us to adjust to. Simple things like the sheer size of everything here can be quite a surprise. The unapologetically open patriotism is quite unique here too; compared to the relentless mocking we make at ourselves and at our nation in England. Additionally, the drinking age in America has also been a huge adjustment, especially when heavy alcohol consumption is almost a rite of passage at universities in Britain. However, despite the cultural and social differences it feels like everyone here, regardless of individual background or national identity, is seeking the same thing here at Goucher: an education.
Editor:
Ellen Bast ‘14 Dorie Chevlen ‘15
Contributors:
Sydney Burrows ‘17 Julia Corrigan ‘14 Julia Larcenaire ‘16 Kaitlin McFarlane ‘14 Maya Pindar Chloe Vogt ‘16
Photographers:
Julia Corrigan ‘14 Ashley Daigle ‘14 Cuong Nguyen ‘14 Maya Pindar Eszter Szalma
Left: Maya Pindar dancing at Roehampton University, UK (courtesy Maya Pindar) Middle: Eszter Szalma at Roehampton University, UK (courtesy Eszter Szalma)
Natalie Dibo ’16: Córdoba, Argentina Hannah Fenster ’15: Oxford, UK
WHERE ARE OUR DANCERS THIS SEMESTER?
Annie Fortenberry ’15: Paris, France Therese Ronco ’15: Arezzo, Italy Maia Stam ’15: Accra, Ghana Alyssa Whitney ’15: Arezzo, Italy Kate McKenzie ’15: Australia
A Week with Nilas
Continued from cover
Throughout the ballet, phrases or a single pose or movement travel in a canon from group to group, often repeated by the principals. Moments like these are perfect examples of what Balanchine meant by “See the music; hear the dance.” Martins also set Bournonville Divertissements by August Bournonville, founder of the Royal Danish Ballet. Bournonville Divertissements, performed by Goucher dancers on the Goucher Repertory Dance Ensemble Concert, is a light-hearted piece that celebrates the wedding of a couple through joyous leaps, sweet and soft adagios, and effortless partnering. Even though the movement style is definitely categorized as more “traditional” ballet compared to Balanchine’s neoclassical work, there are some unique aspects to the Romantic Bournonville style to which it was difficult to adapt. One distinction is that Bournonville wanted everything to appear light and easy to the audience, to make them believe that they could do it. In order to achieve this look, many steps are taken off pointe, even though the dancers are in pointe shoes. Also, the arms are lower than usual in classical ballet and don’t move as much. The upper body is calm and soft, while the legs are moving quickly with clarity and precision in beats and fast pointework. Martins worked a lot with us on this Bournonville style, not only in rehearsals but also in his classes. His barre was very difficult but moved quickly so that we could get to the staples of the Bournonvile technique: turns and jumps. It was a pleasure to work with Nilas Martins every day in class and rehearsals. He worked us very hard in class, and by the end, we all felt very accomplished: We had really danced. I will admit, I was a little nervous to be working with such “ballet royalty,” but Martins was extremely down-to-earth and approachable and was always quick to crack a joke to lighten the mood. We all enjoyed ourselves so much that we didn’t realize how sore we were until after he had left. Both Episodes and Bournonville Divertissements will be performed at the Goucher Repertory Dance Ensemble Concert April 11 and 12 in Kraushaar Auditorium. Associate Professor and Dance Department Chair Elizabeth Ahearn coordinated the residency. Top: Zoe Thomas ‘14 performs at Meet the Artist (courtesy Cuong Nguyen ‘14) Middle and Bottom Left: Sarah Eckart ‘16 performs at Meet the Artist (courtesy Cuong Nguyen ‘14) Bottom Right: Ashley Daigle ‘14 performs at Meet the Artist (courtesy Cuong Nguyen ‘14)
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The American College Dance Festival: “Imagine... A Life in Dance” Brought to Reality Julia Corrigan ‘14 This semester, 20 Goucher dancers had the opportunity to attend the American College Dance Festival’s Mid-Atlantic Conference, held March 8-11, 2014 at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. The conference encompassed several concerts, technique classes, lectures, and feedback sessions with adjudicators Sylvia Waters, Sarah Skaggs, and Zvi Gotheiner. The conference began with a wonderful program, performed by the Joffrey Ballet, that showed works by choreographers Brock Clawson, Yuri Possokhov, and Twyla Tharp.
The theme of the conference, “Imagine...A Life in Dance,” was discussed in-depth by panelists Elisa Monte, Ashley Wheater, Deborah Jowitt, Kyle Abraham, Elizabeth Parkinson, and Robert Battle. All of them described their circuitous journeys to success in the field, with Robert Battle’s pointed advice sticking out: “If you pay attention, you’ll get paid; if you don’t pay attention, you’ll pay.” Each panelist had a different perspective, but was encouraging to the audience of undergraduate students about entering the field professionally.
During a research presentation, University of Maryland graduate student Erin Crawley shared her perspective: “Amateur art is self-expression; professional art is communication.” This idea can be applied by students when assessing their own creations and giving feedback to others. At the conference, Goucher dancers performed in both adjudicated and informal concerts. At the adjudicated concert, guest artist Gina Patterson’s contemporary ballet piece, “Home and Back,”and “Really Is, Aways Was,”a contemporary piece by Julia Corrigan ‘14, were performed beautifully by the dancers. The adjudicators offered support and praise for both pieces, and had helpful critical feedback as well. “There, But Not There,” a contemporary ballet work by student Ashley Daigle ’14, also was shown at an informal concert and was well-received. The dancers were offered a broad range of dance classes each day, encompassing somatics and a wide variety of technique classes. Students could choose between several styles of ballet and modern, along with other options such as African, salsa, and fusion classes. Each class offered a new perspective, allowing dancers to broaden their knowledge and understanding of dance. Furthermore, students were able to attend four adjudicated concerts with pieces performed by over 30 participating colleges. They were able to apply their own aesthetics and philosophies of dance in evaluating these works and to hone their skills as communicators and critical reviewers of dance as an art form. The concerts encouraged discussion between each piece, allowing for students to have a discourse on their opinions of other modern, ballet, and contemporary works. Afterwards, they heard feedback from the adjudicators, with the opportunity to apply the adjudicators’ diverse professional opinions to their own perceptions of the pieces. Overall, for the dancers who were lucky enough to attend, it was a fantastic and inspiring trip. For me, personally, I was able to better establish my perspective as an artist and find new creative inspirations to further my own future work. I have long imagined my life in dance, and now I can’t wait to bring these ideas to reality. Left: The cast of “Really Is, Always Was” in
performance (courtesy Julia Corrigan ‘14) .
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Senior Independent Pieces By Kaitlin McFarlane ’14
Around this time of the year, Goucher’s senior choreographers are hard at work on independent projects. Five senior works—by senior dance majors Omari Contasté, Ashley Daigle, Julianna Kronick, Kaitlin McFarlane, and Drew Santoro—will be featured at the Independent Concert on May 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Todd Studio Theatre. Senior interdisciplinary major Cuong Huy Nguyen will present his thesis project the following afternoon, May 10 at 3 p.m., also in the Todd Studio Theatre. Each piece features the choreographer’s own unique style, set on members of the Goucher College Dance Department. With the help of faculty mentors, this year’s crop of burgeoning choreographers has been tasked with auditioning, choreographing, rehearsing, and ultimately presenting their final projects as a culmination of their Goucher dance educations.
Omari Contasté’s work, set to Julia Kent’s cello pieces, is an exploration of intimacy and what it means to be passionate, in a signature style that combines his Goucher ballet training and his African background. Ashley Daigle, whose past work was shown at this year’s American College Dance Festival Association conference, continues her experimentation with the contemporary ballet style in a new piece that shows off the dynamic skill of Goucher’s dancers; this semester’s independent study is a continuation of her work in the Advanced Choreography and Production class. Julianna Kronick breaks the balletic trend with a modern piece that focuses on the play of push and pull, sinking and floating. Inspired by last semester’s Haitian History and Art class, Kaitlin McFarlane, uses a contemporary dance-inspired vocabulary to reflect on her interpretations of Haitian literature and poetry. Drew Santoro’s work will take a much more
collaborative approach to her creative process and promises an interesting choreographic display. Cuong Huy Nguyen, whose interdisciplinary major involves him in the music and audio-visual fields as well as dance, will present a thesis project that features his unique combination of hip-hop and modern dance, set to music of his own composition. Come to the Independent Concert and be a part of the blossoming careers of the next generation of great choreographers. Above: Part of Ashley Daigle’s cast: Nicki Mallon ‘17, Mara Bezerko ‘17, Gabrielle Stoler ‘17, Choreographer Ashley Daigle ‘14, Zoe Thomas ‘14, and Bryonna Odhner ‘14 (courtesy Ashley Daigle ‘14)
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The Alphabet of Dance: Alex and Xan’s Modern Residency By Sydney Burrows ’17
When you think about communication, the first thing that comes to mind is language. Within language are the building blocks, the letters of the alphabet. Alex Springer and Xan Burley, a couple from New York City with their own dance company, The Median Movement, recognized the importance of the alphabet and decided to bring language to dance. The two dancers first explored this idea in their studio, inspired by choreographers such as Mark Morris. The idea took shape as Alex and Xan added their own voices, took out smaller gestures, and eventually created a different movement for each letter of the alphabet. They then played around with different rhythms and orders of the movement. Eventually, they decided to use the name “Jack”as a focus for the piece. “Jack? Jack. Jack!”—the piece to be performed by Goucher students in the spring concert—opens with a solo dancer using her feet for rhythm before the music begins. She
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calls the other dancers on stage with the word “Jack.” She repeats this name throughout the beginning of the piece, and the whole group connects, separates, and then comes back together. Alex and Xan chose the name “Jack” from the nursery rhyme “Jack and Jill,”because it is a building block for children to learn the English language. The name “Jack”is very American, and Alex and Xan like how it describes the everyman and everywoman of our society. Although this piece was originally a duet with Alex and Xan, they have brought it to Goucher to see how it functions as a group piece. They are using the movement that they created with the alphabet to explore the idea of group mentality. The piece addresses how masses interact, whether to create a positive change, or something destructive. The beginning group of the piece connects right away, and throughout the rest of the choreography, we witness where the mass goes.
The choreography uses rhythm, with the dancers hitting the floor with their feet to create individual voices within the group. Each dancer has his or her own identity even when combined with others, and Alex and Xan are especially excited to hone their ideas and explore the uniqueness of each dancer. They collaborate with one another and use improvisation before beginning the concrete process of setting the piece. Before they put their choreography on the dancers, they allow them to explore their own versions of “Jack.” The piece will be a result of a unique combination of letters, movements, and group mentality mixing together to create a beautiful piece of rhythm and language. Top: Alex Springer and Xan Burley during Meet the Artist Left and Right: Dancers in rehearsal for “Jack? Jack. Jack!” (photos courtesy of Cuong Nguyen ’14)
Dancing with Patsy Chloe Vogt ’17 One of the most crucial ingredients to a choreographed dance is the music, and Assistant Professor of Dance Karissa Horowicz has cooked up a piece that’s as sweet as pie. Set to the dreamy and soulful twang of the late country crooner Patsy Cline, Horowicz’s piece evokes a nostalgic feel while presenting innovative modern choreography. Horowicz first thought of her concept while driving alone in Winchester, VA., Cline’s birthplace. There she spotted a museum dedicated to the singer and, intrigued, pulled over to take a peek. At the museum she learned a great deal about Cline’s music and life. Horowicz began listening to her music and says she was instantly pulled in by Cline’s “cool, light voice,” which was also “so rich with emotion.” Eager to do further research, she felt that the music of Patsy Cline would be a “unique perspective” for her, one which she says became her sole inspiration for the piece. From a group of 25 student dancers who auditioned, nine were selected. Horowicz explains that she wanted students with open minds, willingness to move in new ways, and
full commitment. The dancers she selected certainly possess all these qualities. As I watched their rehearsal, Horowicz and the dancers worked to experiment with new movements, make changes, ask questions, and help one another. Horowicz would step into the dance herself and demonstrate movements, ask the dancers their opinions, and present them with ideas through which they would all collaborate to execute into actual dancing. At one point the dancers experimented with different lifts that to many would seem quite frightening. But since all of them were willing to work hard and try new things, the atmosphere was encouraging and exciting. Although, according to Horowicz, the rehearsal process was quite difficult due to time constraints, the dancers accomplished a great deal in just a couple of rehearsals. The playful piece will certainly put a smile on your face—the dancers themselves are full of them! The movement I observed in a rehearsal was jumpy and eclectic; it has the feel of swing combined with modern dance.
Traditional ballet and modern movements seamlessly transform into kitschy and bubbly movements. Through the partner work and different group sections, the dancers really look like they are having fun. The choreography makes you wish you could put on your dancing shoes and get up to join them. However, as Horowicz pointed out during rehearsal, the piece is more than just a “cute” dance. It creates a sentimental mood in which the audience is taken back to an old-fashioned story narrated by one of America’s country sweethearts. Paying homage to Cline’s infectious music—and to the part in all of us that loves to just get up and dance—Horowicz hopes the audience will experience “the delightful and fun-hearted feel of the music and movement.” Now that’s one good slice of Americana to take a bite out of. Horowicz’s work will be presented during the Goucher Repertory Dance Ensemble spring concert, April 11 and 12, 2014, in Kraushaar Auditorium.
Left: Singer Patsy Cline in the 1950’s (photo courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum); Right: Dancers in rehearsal for “Just Foolin’ Around” (photo courtesy of: Cuong Nguyen ’14).
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GOUCHER COLLEGE
Goucher Repertory Dance Ensemble Spring Concert Kraushaar Auditorium April 11, 7:30 PM April 12, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Enjoy modern and ballet works by guest artists Alex Springer and Xan Burley, Assistant Professor of Dance Karissa Horowicz, and Goucher students Julia Corrigan ’14 and Ashley Daigle ’14. Goucher dancers will also perform George Balanchine’s Episodes and August Bournonville’s Bournonville Divertissements, staged by Nilas Martins, former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. The choreographers will discuss the evening’s program at 6:45 p.m. on April 11 in the Rosenberg Gallery.
$15 general admission; $5 senior citizens, students with valid ID, and Goucher OneCard holders. Reserve tickets online at www. goucher.edu/tickets. Dance Alumnae/i Weekend: A Celebration of Chrystelle Bond Join us for a weekend filled with events to celebrate Professor of Dance Chrystelle Trump Bond’s 50 years at Goucher College:
Chrystelle Bond’s 50 Years of Service Kraushaar Auditorium April 25, 8 p.m. Guest speakers will join the Goucher Repertory Dance Ensemble and Chorégraphie Antique in honoring Chrystelle Trump Bond. In lieu of an admission charge, please consider a donation to the Friends of Goucher Dance, at the event or before, at www.goucher.edu/gift.
Senior Independent Choreography Performance Todd Studio Theatre May 9, 7:30 p.m. Goucher dance majors will present their independent studies in choreography. Choreographers include seniors Omari Contasté, Ashley Daigle, Julianna Kronick, Kaitlin McFarlane, and Drew Santoro.
Goucher Dance: Illuminating Pathways Merrick Lecture Hall April 26, 1:30 p.m. In this panel, various alumnae/i discuss how their diverse lives and career paths have been influenced by Goucher Dance.
Where Worlds Collide Todd Studio Theatre May 10 Cuong Huy Nguyen, a senior dance major and candidate in Goucher’s M.F.A. in Digital Arts Program, will present his research in an interdisciplinary, multimedia concert consisting of works in dance, music, and digital art. The concert will be followed by a brief lecture and discussion of Cuong’s research and experimentation regarding interdisciplinary learning methods through organic movement mastery.
Chrystelle Trump Bond: The Past and a Vision for the Future Merrick Lecture Hall April 26, 2:45 p.m. Professor Bond will discuss the development of the Dance Department, supported by a slideshow. A reception will follow at 3:45 p.m. in Rosenberg Gallery. R.S.V.P by April 18, 2014, to 410-337-6390 or goucherdance@ goucher.edu.
For more information, call the Dance Department at 410-337-6390, unless otherwise indicated. Information can also be found at www.goucher.edu/dance.
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