Kenyon’s Fall Dance Concert — including four student-choreographed works and a collaboration with The Ohio State University — will take place Dec. 7-9 with nightly performances at 8 p.m. in the Hill Theater.
The hour-long concert will feature a restaging of 1958’s “Missa Brevis” by José Limón. The project brings together a group of students and faculty from Kenyon and The Ohio State University for the historic piece, which also will be performed on Feb. 10 at the Memorial Theater in Mount Vernon.
Limón choreographed “Missa Brevis” in response to the destruction he saw in post-World War II Poland. The dance is about the importance of community — the resilience it can provide in the face of disaster. Professor of Dance Julie Brodie worked with colleagues from Ohio State — Mara Frazier and Valarie Williams — to stage the dance from the Labanotation score, a way of analyzing and recording movement with symbols. Dante Puleio, artistic director at the Limón Company, coached students from both schools, who will be featured in the piece.
Produced by the Department of Dance, Drama and Film, the show is codirected by Professor of Dance Balinda Craig-Quijada and Assistant Professor of Dance Kora Radella. In addition to “Missa Brevis,” it will feature student-choreographed dances along with a piece by Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Ellie Escosa Carter.
Craig-Quijada said she is happy that students are getting a chance to add their choreographic voices to the concert, which will showcase different styles. “The concert offers a variety of dance themes and styles that come together for an exciting evening of movement,” she said.
Roisin O'Byrne, a junior, choreographed “Befores and Afters.” She describes the dance as “an exploration of collective processing of tragedy.” The piece explores how people deal with how an evening that should be joyful turns negative.
“Autumnal Scapes,” choreographed by junior Diya Chabria, is about how people react to tough circumstances. “It delves into the internal struggle of deciding whether to face these challenges head-on or seek an escape route,” she said. “The piece symbolizes the gradual deterioration of our inner selves when confronted with adversity, questioning what happens when beauty and vitality are lost within us.”
In “Nowhere,” inspired by the cult classic film of the same name, junior Ella Newgarden reinterprets the piece with new choreography. “This piece investigates the intricacies of youth, themes of isolation and intimacy, alienation and identity and a quest for connection and hope,” Newgarden said.
Ashley Sanchez, a sophomore, choreographed a piece titled “Phantasmagoria” about vivid, unsettling dreams. “This piece was inspired by dreams I’ve had or discussions of dreams with others,” she said.
Ellie Escosa Carter’s piece is called, “Pathways of Intersection.” The dance is inspired by lines and space in “Wall Drawing 305” by artist Sol LeWitt. “(The piece is) about the lines and paths we take and choose in our lives and the relational interactions and intersections we share with others,” she said.
For tickets, contact the box office at 740-427-5546, open 1-5 p.m., Monday-Friday the week of Dec. 4 and one hour before performances.
Click to download images of "Missa Brevis” (taken by Valarie Williams) and Kenyon College.