Waldron welcomes IU senior dance showcase

A “Range of Motion,” from walking through dancing, can be seen this weekend for the IU Contemporary Dance’s senior showcase. The show will take place at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday at the John Waldron Arts Center.

The performance will feature 16 contemporary dance works choreographed mostly by
students.

“The range of styles this year is much more vast,” senior Melanie Griffin said. “It displays a lot of variety, and with two shows it gives the public more opportunities to see a quality, professional and free modern dance show.”

Griffin is one of 15 students who choreographed dance pieces for this semester’s performance. 

“My piece is about vivid memories, instances and sights that you will never forget,” Griffin said about her piece “Reflections of Aesthetics.” “I used my dancers for inspiration. They are four of my best friends, so there is a choreographic element that takes them into account. This creates a sense of connectedness and togetherness.”
Senior Kristine Jones said she hopes this show will spark an interest in contemporary dance within the IU community.

“We are still a fairly new program, and most people associate us with the ballet department.” Jones said. “I hope this will help us gain some recognition from the community.”

Jones, choreographer of “Standing on Hands,” will be dancing in five pieces.
“My favorite piece is ‘Powerless Disturbance,’choreographed by Eric Schaefer,” Jones said. “The movement is very contemporary and edgy and tells a creepy story about two lovers who get trapped in a nightmare.”

Jones said working with Schaefer was a collaborative process in which the dancers played a major role in directing the choreography.

“In my experience, the best dances are created in this way,” Jones said. “Collaboration builds a strong sense of community within the cast, and because of that, the movement becomes organic.”

Senior Kelsey Breece, choreographer of “It’s Okay to Laugh” and a dancer in a number of the pieces, said she is happy about the progression.

“I am fond of how Kevin Carmichael’s ‘Comes and Goes’ progressed through the semester,” Breece said. “His style of movement is so different and unique. We started out with a basic idea, but it evolved with the input of every person in the cast into the amazing piece it is now.”

Breece said she hopes the show will convey the variety of the contemporary dance program.

“We all come from different backgrounds and different training, but we have all been unified in our education here at IU.” Breece said. “We hope our performance shows our journey together throughout our four years at IU and hints toward where we might go in the future.”