Dancing Through It All – Fall Recap!

Guest Artists Hollis Bartlett & Nattie Trogdan were in residence September 20 – 26.

These Brooklyn-based choreographers have together worked with such notable choreographers as Doug Varone, David Dorfman, Keith Johnson, Brian Brooks, Angie Hauser/Chris Aiken, and Kimberly Bartosic.  RWU dancers were part of this exceptional lineage as Hollis and Nattie taught several master classes by day, and choreographed an original work for a cast of 13 Dance Theatre dancers by night.

Their work, Crow, expanded everyday walking into a contemporary artform – framed by concepts of group precision, spatial synchronization and radicalization.  Students saw Crow differently – some enjoyed the hypnotic rhythm of the dancers’ steps, some were intrigued by choreography that seemed like coding 1’s and 0’s in 3D, others felt it a statement on the dehumanizing effects of repetitive and anonymous work cultures.  Isabella Cirignano, a dancer in the work said, “to witness Hollis and Nattie's process really special - they balanced each other in ways that made their teaching accessible – not anyone could teach what they taught us over one week and get the work to resonate so well!

In Cages with Lions: RWU Alumni Interdisciplinary Art Show, Herreshoff Marine Museum – October 1 - 31

Within the beautifully curated landscape of visual art pieces, Associate Professor of Dance and Performance Studies and RWU alumna, Cathy Nicoli, performed her durational performance installation, The Red Thread.  The work – based on Barry Commoner’s 4 Laws of Ecology from his 1971 book The Closing Circle – included 600 yards of red cotton thread, a hanging suspension grid, scores of organic apples (symbolic of Knowledge and Life…then to become apple sauce), and a video collage made by local trash assemblage artist and plastic consumption critic, Thomas Deininger.  Nicoli’s aim was to amplify Commoner’s message that economic production, innovations, and policies – as well as day to day human behavior – should first and foremost conform to ecological laws.  A month prior this inaugural art exhibit (hosted by RWU’s Visual Arts Program), the World Climate and Security Report of 2021 reported that the Earth is warmer than it has been in 125,000 years, and that human-made climate change is unequivocally the cause.  The Red Thread installation aimed to illustrate that a delicate balance is at stake, and life as we know it literally hangs by the thread of our actions.

Guest Artist Ashley Rich & Rich Dance Company were in residence October 17 – 30.

Like many of our own RWU Dance students, Ashley Rich started her technical training at a young age, fell in love with it, and has immersed herself in the field ever since.  Some of her achievements include being a finalist on the 8th Season of So You Think You Can Dance and attending the prestigious Ailey School in NYC, home of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  In October, Ashley took time out of her busy national teaching and adjudicating schedule to work with two casts of Dance Theatre Company dancers – culminating in a Basement Series Dance event comprised of 16 dance students dancing alongside Ashley and two of her Rich Dance Company dancers, Rachel Kampuries (Queens, NY) and Tasheka Scafe (Brooklyn, NY).  Ashley’s musical and emotionally rooted dancing fueled her craft, and her charismatic teaching energized our dancers through an intense rehearsal schedule.  Ashley considered the concert, “a journey of purpose…taking a leap into the unknown, intentionally,” and every one of our dancers leapt into the unknown of the creative process alongside her, very happily, and stronger for it!

RWU Dance Theatre Company in Concert – December 2 – 5

After a semester of evening and weekend rehearsals, RWU Dance Theatre Company enjoyed its first full concert series INSIDE since December of 2019!  We learned a lot from spending an entire year outside training in site-specific choreography, dance on film, and athletic cross training – but the students were thrilled to be back in“the barn” – dancing in the intimacy of the black box theatre again for families and friends (so be it masked).

The lineup included the work of our guest artists,  and five student choreographers:  Emery Feagin (a senior double majoring in Dance & Performance Studies and Psychology – with a minor in History), Cara Grady (a junior majoring in Dance & Performance Studies, with aims to minor in Public Relations), Grace Jaworski (a senior double majoring in Dance & Performance Studies and Psychology), Sarah Loyola (a senior Dance & Performance Studies major with an Education Studies core concentration), and Jordan Roberts (a senior double major in Dance & Performance Studies and Psychology).  The student choreographers did a stellar job at crafting their visions and taking leadership roles within the company.  We are very proud of them!

One last bit of uplifting news:  In celebration of our dancer Casey’s good health and ability to dance with us again, Dance Theatre Company hosted a fundraiser for the American Liver Foundation during our final concert series.  Through generous donations from audience members, we will be donating over $200 to the cause.  This has been an uplifting way to celebrate Casey’s return before she soon graduates and starts working to advocate for other liver transplant survivors.

Congratulations Dancers, Faculty, and Staff on an excellent semester!