Kenyon’s Fall Dance Concert will showcase the choreography of four dance students and two faculty members Dec. 12 - 14 with free nightly 8 p.m. performances in the Hill Theater.
Produced by the Kenyon College Dance, Drama and Cinema Club, the hour-long show will feature everything from modern dance to Appalachian folk dance. It will be codirected by Professor of Dance Balinda Craig-Quijada and Assistant Professor of Dance Kora Radella.
Students from all class years enrolled in dance technique courses have the opportunity to perform in this concert, and those who have taken choreography courses can choreograph and direct others in their original work.
The senior capstone work of Ella Newgarden, Eve Currens and Kayla Blythe is featured in this concert.
“Some of the dances are capstone projects, and the dances are all so different,” said senior Julia Wartman. She is joined by three other members of the Class of 2025 — Currens, Blythe and Rocky Reisz — in choreographing dances for the concert.
“This is my first time choreographing — ever. Working with the student dancers from this new perspective has been very valuable and taught me a lot about working with other people about collaboration and understanding,” said Wartman, whose contemporary choreography is set to “L-Over” by the U.S. Girls.
Reisz choreographed a piece to “Don’t Sweat the Technique” by Eric B. & Rakim and “Give It Up” by Kool & The Gang. “You could say that it is contemporary, influenced by hip-hop, modern and jazz,” she said. “It’s kind of a conglomeration.”
Blythe’s choreography to “I Saw You” and “Cmon” from Fred Again and Brian Eno is rooted in contemporary dance, but she described her inspiration as being rooted in “ballet, hip-hop and improvisation.”
Prior to her dance, Currens will talk about her hands-on experience researching Appalachian folk dance. The piece will conclude with an opportunity for audience participation.
Craig-Quijada and Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Ellie Escosa Carter also choreographed dances that will be performed.
Carter’s choreography for Newgarden’s senior project is set to Caroline Shaw’s “Valencia” and pulls from Newgarden’s background in ballet and contemporary dance and her interest in German Expressionism. “I like to explore a dancer’s history: who they are as a mover, their strengths and where they come from,” she said.
Craig-Quijada described her quintet as “playing into each dancer’s movement vocabulary.” The choreography was created based on the dancers’ responses to various word prompts, including “touch,” “fall” and “roll.” Individual choices from her dancers, Craig-Quijada said, create an “intriguingly quirky world with its own internal, nonsensical logic.” Her piece is set to desert blues music, silence and the movie soundtrack of “Geppetto.”
Costume design for the concert is provided by Visiting Assistant Professor of Drama Kasey Brown and Costume Shop Manager Mackenzie Malone. Associate Professor of Drama Rebecca Wolf created the lighting design.
The Kenyon College Dance, Drama, and Cinema Club will conduct a talkback session after the conclusion of the performances on Monday, Dec. 16, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Leach Dining Room in Peirce Hall.
Seating for these free performances will be on a first come, first served basis. For any questions, contact Kris Conant, production and box office manager for the Kenyon Department of Dance, Drama and Film at 740-427-5557.
View downloadable images for the Fall Dance Concert and Kenyon College.
