Hope College seniors will present their own original choreography as part of an advanced composition class showcase on Thursday, April 21, at 8 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The choreographers featured are seniors Chelsea Brown of Naperville, Ill.; Dawn Flandermeyer of St. Charles, Mo.; Molly Hamel of Wyoming; Jessica Mumford of Kalamazoo; and Jessica Yokas of Oelwein, Iowa. The works will feature Hope students as dancers.
Hamel has choreographed "Verve," a tap dance performed by Hamel, sophomore Andhra Norman of Graytown, Ohio, and junior Alison Rickey of Richmond, Ind. "Verve" is inspired by an anonymous quotation: "Verve: the blending of art, motivation, and spirit; verve is defiance and passion to the point of recklessness, tempered only by singleness of purpose and direction; it is not judged by outcome or means; verve is decision taken and that's all that matters."
"On the Edge," an original work by Flandermeyer, probes the emotional components that accompany impending change. The dancers are seniors Lindsay Brown of Boise, Idaho; Sarah Gardner of New Castle, Pa.; Mari Stuppy of Dowagiac; and Yokas. They will perform accompanied by the electronic contemporary music of Brian Eno and Flunk.
Brown will present a contemporary ballet piece, "The Troublesome Scarf," inspired by the classical piano of Felix Mendelssohn. The dance, performed by Brown and junior Paula Grahmann of Verona, Wis., tells a playful and humorous story of two children struggling to find a solution to conflict. Brown remarked, "This piece explores the childlike behaviors and experiences we lose as we get older."
Yokas's piece, "im-Print," will be danced by Flandermeyer; freshman Anna Jonkman of Grand Rapids; sophomore Joanna Leeman of Plainfield, Ill.; senior Jessica Maynard of St. Joseph; Stuppy; and senior Teresa VanDenend of Ripley, Ohio. The music used is by John Adams and Catholic School AV Squad. The dancers use props such as textbooks and big pieces of fabric to convey the theme of distorted truths.
Mumford will present "Behind the Mask: Uncovering the Truth about Self-Presentation," based on the psychology concept of the same name. Mumford said, "Through my work I want to unveil the truth about how we all wear different 'social masks' in different situations. Although some people use self-presentation more often than others, we have all felt the pressures of society to act or feel a certain way." Dancing in the work are sophomore Jennifer Andrews of Hobe Sound, Fla.; senior Clarissa Gregory of Portage, Wis.; sophomore Sharon Havens of Pinckney; junior Jamie Klein of Aurora, Ill.; freshman Robert Lloyd of Hawthorn Woods, Ill.; Norman; and freshman Michael Winslow of East Grand Rapids. Dance will be coupled with speaking and mask work to "explore the different persons within ourselves and reveal what is behind the mask."
On Monday, May 2, at 5 p.m. at the Western Theological Seminary chapel, VanDenend, also of the advanced composition class, will present "In the Name of the Father." VanDenend describes her piece as "a first attempt at creating a church service based on movement." The work will be danced by freshman Jake Boone of Seville, Ohio; Brown; Gardner; and senior Nicole Herbst of Menomonee Falls, Wis. Admission is free.
In addition, choreography by a variety of Hope students will be featured in concerts on Monday and Tuesday, April 18-19, at 8 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre. The April 18-19 concerts will feature benefit performances by Hope resident dance companies InSync Dance Theater and Aerial Dance Theater. An admission charge of $2 will support the return of Contemporary Motions to the Knickerbocker in 2006.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. 8th St. in downtown Holland. The Western Theological Seminary chapel is located on 13th Street near College Avenue.