Momentum
Friday, November 11, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 12, 2:00pm & 7:30 p.m.
The Rose Theatre, University of Memphis
Free and Open to the Public –
must still get ticket online
The Department of Theatre & Dance presents Momentum, a dance concert showcasing choreography by University faculty, UM alumni, and special guest artist, Edgar Godineaux. A culmination of months of physical exploration and creative research, Momentum offers dynamic new work that explores the human condition through music and movement. Join us for a powerful evening featuring a variety of dance styles and celebrating the triumph of the human spirit. Performance dates and times for the concert are Friday and Saturday, November 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. as well as a matinee on Saturday, November 12 at 2:00 p.m. in the Rose Theatre on the University of Memphis campus. The concert is free and open to the public.
U of M Dance Alumnae, Rebecca Cochran and Emily Hefley reconstruct a piece titled Floor 6 created for Project: Motion Dance Collective in 2010. Thought-provoking and satirical, this piece uses exaggerated gestures, movements, and facial expressions to explore women's relationships with one another in today's corporate America. Audience beware; as Alpha females abound in this small space! Wayne M. Smith has reconstructed a solo work into a group-forms dance piece. It is a dance inspired by meditation practice, ritual dance, classic modern dance & fire.
Dance Area Head Jill Guyton Nee presents a work composed of collaged rhythms and polar extremes of manic and suppressed tension. The ensemble piece was created through the collaboration between Nee and the Dance Repertory class. The performers move through an environment of physical intensity, navigating abstract, yet extreme, representations of the everyday college student.
U of M BFA Alum (16'), Christina McKinney choreographs With the New Day, which explores the concept of restriction. Five females dressed in corsets and petticoats sweep on and off stage in a pedestrian array accompanied by the ramblings of British philosopher Alan Watts and an echoing instrumental composition by Luduvico Enaudi. The strength, buoyancy, and confidence of women confronts an ongoing suppression.
Broadway choreographer and special guest artist, Edgar Godineaux presents Ain't Nothin But A Kiss. The fast, upbeat, and vibrant musical theatre dance is a reconstruction of Godineaux's original Broadway choreography from the musical Memphis. Nancy Kline presents a ballet piece. Six women dance to Vivaldi's "Winter," melting away the tip of an iceberg to reveal the depths below. Tamara Prince-Parrish resets a work titled Rain. Her inspiration: "The liquid substance that becomes the sunshine of my existence. I am permitted to hold on to this life and not allow uncertainty drain me."
That Was Then (2012) is a work, choreographed by Kristen Osborne Lucas, for two dancers. It reflects the impact of space and time on the emotional journey of a couple. Intrinsic and playful gestures between two people contain meaning, which, like a relationship, change with time.