Students perform new student choreography created and choreography learned during the fall semester
Princeton dance students present an End of Semester Showing. Photo by M. Teresa Simao
The Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Dance will present a series of showings of new choreography created by students and repertory learned during the past semester on December 11 through 15 in the Hearst Dance Theater and dance studios in the new Lewis Arts complex and New South on the Princeton University campus. All performances are free and open to the public.
The schedule for the end-of-semester showings of student work and performances is:
Monday, December 11 at 1:30 in New South dance studio and 3:10 p.m. in Ellie’s Dance Studio at Lewis Arts complex there will be presentations from “An Introduction to the Radical Imagination” taught by Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, a 2017-19 Princeton Arts Fellow. This course provided an introduction to radical performance practices through which artists consider the gendered and racialized body that circulates in the public domain, both onstage and off. Students used interdisciplinary visual and performance studies to query the political questions that performers raise with their work.
Also on December 11 at 3:00 p.m. in the Hearst Dance Theater students from “The American Dance Experience and Africanist Dance Practices” taught by Dyane Harvey-Salaam will perform. This studio course introduced students to American dance aesthetics and practices with a focus on how its evolution has been influenced by African American choreographers and dancers, including the study of movement practices from traditional African dances, dance of the African diaspora, American jazz dance, modern dance, and American ballet.
Wednesday, December 13 at 1:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. in the Roberts Dance Studio work from “Introduction to Ballet” taught by Tina Fehlandt will be presented. In this studio course designed for students with a curiosity in the study of classical ballet, participants learned the fundamentals of ballet, gaining an understanding of its physicality, artistry, and principles of alignment. Students examined the historical origins of ballet and its absorption of cultural influences.
Also on December 13 at 2:45 p.m. in the Forum at the Lewis Arts complex students in “Introduction to Contemporary Dance,” taught by Alexandra Beller, will share what they learned in a class designed for students who are curious about contemporary dance techniques and choreography. Students tried on various identities within dance — mover, creator, performer, writer, and historian — to holistically learn about contemporary dance.
New student-created choreography will be presented Friday, December 15 starting at 11:30 a.m. in the Hearst Dance Theater from “Choreography Workshop I” taught by Senior Lecturer Rebecca Lazier and “Choreography Workshop II” taught by Susan Marshall, Director of the Program in Dance. Students in “Choreography Workshop III” taught by Rebecca Stenn will have a showing of new work at 2:00 p.m. also in Hearst Dance Theater. Focusing on contemporary practices and performance, students in these courses worked in movement-based laboratories and presented original choreography weekly. Students also learned to discuss and critique the work of their peers, combining readings and viewings to contextualize their studies. Throughout the semester, students learned decision-making choreographic skills, as well as developed pieces around central ideas.
To learn more about the Program in Dance courses and events, visit arts.princeton.edu/academics/dance/
