Southern Utah University’s department of Theatre, Dance, and Arts Administration will be opening their fall faculty dance concert on Thursday, Dec. 7. The concert, titled “Revolve,” will have performances Dec. 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee performance Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets are free to SUU students with a valid ID.
The theme for the concert was selected after the faculty began conceptualizing their pieces. Dance faculty members Alexandra Bradshaw-Yerby, Danielle Lydia Sheather, Halie Bahr and Nancy Dobbs Owen collaborated to find the common thread between their pieces and used that as the title of the concert.
“[The dances] were dealing with human identity, either how that evolves in relationship to communities or societal expectations or legacy in my case,” said Bradshaw-Yerby, the associate chair of the TDAA department. “That’s how we came up with the theme ‘Revolve,’ sort of like how we evolve or how we’re constantly changing and adapting in our environments and lives.”
The dance program at SUU does one large dance concert per semester, with the fall concert being faculty choreographed and the spring one being student choreographed. Prep time for the concert varies from choreographer to choreographer. Rehearsals started the week of Oct. 10, but each choreographer spent time prior to rehearsals planning their pieces.
“It’s kind of different every year depending on the cast that I have in the room, the theme of the work that I’m playing with and whether or not I’m the choreographer who was going to be attending the ACDA festival,” said Sheather. Each year, one member of the dance faculty choreographs a piece for the American College Dance Association festival, which comes with a unique set of requirements. Sheather was the choreographer assigned to the festival this year.
This year’s dance concert also featured a rare collaboration between SUU and the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. Daniel Charon, the artistic director of Ririe-Woodbury, a dance company based in Salt Lake City, choreographed a piece with Bradshaw-Yerby in part to honor Joan Woodbury, a Cedar City native who passed away earlier this year
The concert is one act with no intermission, making it an easy watch for those who may not be familiar with dance but still want to support SUU’s dancers.
“It’s an opportunity to see the dance program students in their prime,” said Bradshaw-Yerby. “They work so hard during a really busy semester to be a part of this committed rehearsal process and to give their all.”
Author: Tessa Cheshire
Photos courtesy of SUU TDAA
accent@suunews.net
