Nine young women form a community to illustrate the numerous quests they face.
Through diverse styles of movement the choreographers embody how one confronts and overcomes challenges. Life has its disappointments and fears but one can endure hardships with a strong sense of community that supports personal strength.
Inspired by M.C. Escher’s most well-known piece of art, “Relativity,” Courtney Cook’s Vertigo, explores an imaginary world that defies gravity. Eight dancers bring vibrancy to Escher’s world through their discovery that you do not just have to fall “down.”
Watermarked by Jaime Dzandu, inspired by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, explores how five people experience the sorrow of displacement and the joy of coming back together in spite of a crisis. By forging ahead and making a way where none seems possible, the individuals eventually find their way back to a sense of community.
Grasping for Serenity by Molly Grose, exposes five dancers’ worst nightmares, revealed by anxiety- ridden dancing. As panic and angst are brought to life by sharp and accented movement, the dancers try to overcome their nightmares. Ms. Grose confronts her dancers’ fears with the hopes of creating peace within their dreams.
Anna Hardy’s, Personal Legends, explores the idea of a predestined course and the choices we make concerning our fate. The dancers follow a journey from collective movement to the chaos of conflicting trajectories as they search for their own path.
The piece Pure Urge by Allison Meyer follows seven women along their path of recovery from the clutches of dangerous habits. Through physical, spiraling movements, the dancers transcend their internal struggles and achieve the beauty of personal strength.
In Enslaved Freedom, Kim Palmer explores the question of how much women can endure before they break. By being forced to share their experiences with others, six women discover not only their own strength, but the strength they possess collectively.
Cycle of Existence, choreographed by Danielle Ramon, highlights five individuals struggling to emerge from a tainted realm encased by the noise of the world. On this journey of rebirth, the dancers’ despair born from conformity transforms to creativity and possibility.
Felicia Stevens’, Forgotten Practice, explores the complexity of neglecting a valuable ritual. Seven dancers participating in a communal tradition evoke emotions ranging from apprehension, tension, and submissiveness, which challenge the community’s origins.
In Between choreographed by Trae Thomas explores the risk two couples take as they strive to become vulnerable and intimate. As the couples dance through two different stages of their relationships, the audience can contrast one couple with the other as they travel toward a successful and meaningful relationship.
EDGELESS is the fourth event of the VCU Dance 2010-2011 Season, a thrilling year of concerts, collaborations, film screenings, master classes and more. Funding for the 2010-2011 season has been graciously provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and VCUarts.
Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, April 28, 29, 30, 2010 at 8:00 pm at the Grace Street Theater, 934 West Grace Street. Tickets are $15 for the general public, $10 for students with a valid VCU I.D. and can be reserved online at Showclix.com or by calling the Grace Street Theater box office at (804)-828-2020.
Recognized by professional dancers and choreographers as “a place where things are happening,” Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Dance and Choreography offers a vibrant and stimulating atmosphere where students prepare for careers in dance.