The dance program at Colorado Mesa University showcased the work of students, faculty and guest artists on April 20 and 21 in the Moss Performing Arts Center Robinson Theatre for their annual Spring Dance Concert.
Auditions for the performance began the week before the start of the semester, and rehearsals have taken place every week in order to prepare the performers for the showcase. The concert will feature multiple genres of dance, including contemporary modern, contemporary ballet, hula and a tap piece.
Amanda Benzin, director and Assistant Professor of Dance at CMU, says the preparation process has been long and difficult, but with tangible payoff.
“It’s a pretty long rehearsal process to get ready for this,” Benzin said.
However, the students and performers involved have grown through the process.
“For me, as a choreographer, it’s been really amazing to see the progress in such a short amount of time, for the dancers to really become a fine-tuned ensemble,” Benzin said. “It’s quite amazing to see what the students are able to learn and absorb […] the amount that they’re actually able to remember in their bodies and differentiate between pieces.”
The dance department performs once a semester, often bringing in members of the community as guest performers or choreographers to help students find new perspectives as they work through the process.
“It’s the dance department’s opportunity to showcase and highlight our students,” Benzin said. “It’s an opportunity for us to showcase the amazing talent of the students, but also of the community and the faculty that we have here.”
The Spring 2018 concert does not have a particular theme, but the numerous styles of dance involved in the production all seek to tell their own stories.
“I think this particular show highlights a lot of diversity within the dance world,” Benzin said. “There’s some themes around social justice […] and social commentary as well.”
The last two pieces of the show touch on topics that are currently happening. Like Ann Sanders, the founder of the CMU dance department, created a piece about cellphones and how they have changed how we interact with other. The last piece is choreographed by Benzin and is a tap number about the #metoo movement. Instead of music accompaning the dancers, they tap to a poem that is known in the #metoo movement.
Assistant professor of dance, Meredith Lyons, created a contemporary ballet piece that opened the show.
There was one student choreographed piece that brought a different culture into the atmosphere. It was a Hawaiian Hula piece that was co-choreographed by two Hawaiian students, Ashlee Arline and Leah Santiago who grew up dancing Hula.
Two pieces were choreographed by guest artists. One was by Christine Marie Rhode that came to CMU for one weekend to place this dance on the dancers. During auditions she was facetimed in to choose her dancers. With only a weekend to choreograph an entire dance, those dancers spent several hours at the studio with Rhode on the February weekend.
The other guest artist is a community member who teaches at Absolute Dance. Georgie Reigel created “Transcendence” which was about change and how people deal with it.
While most of the students involved are dancer majors or in related performing arts majors (such as musical theatre), the skills acquired through dance can help them achieve their goals in other aspects of life.
“I think this is really part of the educational process and what it’s like to be a performing artist and the reality of what that looks like,” Benzin said. “I think dance, in general, is really an outlet for a lot of people. It’s a means of communication. Being able to access that and share it with others is a pretty magical experience.”
Benzin emphasizes that the performers are not the only people who benefit from the concert; audience members can diversify and expand their worldviews by attending the performance.
“Going to any arts, whether it’s performance arts or visual arts, gives you new insight into the world you live in,” Benzin said. “Being exposed to things that make you think about things differently or feel a certain way is an amazing opportunity to grow as not just a student or a learner, but as a human being […] to open your horizons to new opportunities or stimulate your own creativity.”
