April 28-30 | 8:00 pm | Ruth Caplin Theatre | $5-7

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA- April 22, 2016 – The Dance Program of the Department of Drama at the University of Virginia presents its Spring Dance Concert on April 28, 29, and 30 at 8:00 p.m. in the Ruth Caplin Theatre. The spring concert will showcase the works of student and faculty choreographers and features original musical compositions, live accompaniment, and digital media for an evening of inventive and inspiring dance.

The concert will include a collaborative work choreographed by the head of the dance program, Kim Brooks Mata. Her dance, [ I ] n q u i r y, is inspired by 21st century perceptions, constructions, and manifestations of Self within online and physical spaces. A multidisciplinary collaboration between Choreographer Brooks Mata, Digital Media Designer Mona Kasra, Composer Kristina Warren, and Costume Designer Deb Otte (Montclair State University), this mixed-media performance integrates dance, sound, and visuals to explore notions of identity, self-representation, and self-presentation in our hyper-mediated networked existence. This piece was made possible through the support of an Arts Enhancement grant and the Arts Endowment through the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost of the Arts.

Composer Kristina Warren stated, “This collaboration has been profoundly eye-opening. As a composer, I have enjoyed the challenge of re-examining sound and technology in daily life. Much of my musical research centers on voice, and this project has renewed how I consider voice as both highly personal and authentic on the one hand, and consciously and unconsciously constructed on the other. In fact, authenticity and mediation are not mutually exclusive; voicing permits both interrelation and self-understanding. I’m extremely excited about how all these considerations dovetail in our collaborative multimedia work.”

Dance Lecturer Katie Baer Schetlick’s piece I’m bony and dense will be performed to an original score by Eli Stine. The inspiration for the piece, Schetlick said, was that “this semester I experienced two stirring moments somewhat simultaneously– a collision with the writings of Annie Dillard and the passing of my composition teacher and mentor, Kazuko Hirabayashi. As a result of this, and everything my collaborators have so generously shared, “I’m bony and dense” is a compositional study of ‘the uncertainty of vision, the horror of the fixed, the dissolution with the present, the intricacy of beauty, the pressure of fecundity, the elusiveness of the free, and the flawed nature of perfection.’ These words by Dillard on ‘all that providence implies,’ for me, encapsulate what every dance aspires to and I think Kazuko would agree.”

From exploring the fear and feeling of losing control of your own body to exploring the voice of one’s body from the inside out, UVA students tackle a variety of themes in their choreography. Elyssa Fonicello, a third-year Public Policy and Leadership major with a minor in Dance, has created a piece that explores the influence of shared memory and experiences on the understanding of a person’s life after their death. The musical accompaniment for her piece Under Paper and Glue is a recording of her grandfather playing “Liebestraum” by Franz Liszt.

In addition to showcasing strong technical, creative, and articulate dance artists, the spring concert reflects each choreographer’s creative interests – resulting in an evening of eclectic, provocative, and engaging performances.

Tickets for the Spring Dance Concert can be purchased online at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu, by calling 434-924-3376, or in person at the UVA Arts Box Office, located in the lobby of the UVA Drama Building, open Monday through Friday from noon until 5:00 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, UVA Faculty/Staff, and UVA Alumni members, and $5 for students. Full-time UVA students may receive one free ticket if reserved at least 24 hours in advance of their desired performance date.

Free parking on performance nights is available in the Culbreth Road Parking Garage, located next to the Drama Building.

–Judy McPeak