UCSB Theater/Dance Presents 2019 Fall Dance OUT OF MANY

UCSB Theater and Dance presents their annual Fall Dance Concert "Out of Many". The concert opens on December 5th and runs through December 7th in the UCSB Hatlen Theater.

This year's concert presents the work of five BFA senior dance majors and faculty member Brandon Whited under the direction of Christina McCarthy in collaboration with Ann Bruice. Each choreographer and student costume designer are investigating how the individual relates to and integrates with society and community, and how each of us strive to be part of the world while remaining true to ourselves. In all the works presented there is a strong presence of the individual attempting to express themselves, find their way, and see the world in a new way.

In Christina McCarthy's words, the concert preparation starts the summer before: "Each summer the senior dance majors start thinking about what is in the forefront of their mind and how the ideas that are brewing will come to life as dance art in the Fall Dance Concert. It is not surprising that these choreographers are asking about how the individual is defined and how they fit into our larger world. We are all in a place of uncertainty as we navigate new and exciting questions about inclusivity, self-definition and communal responsibility."

Wes Dameron's, Atlas Reflection explores the aesthetic juxtapositions in the perceived corporeal forms of statues. Mr. Dameron finds a non-linear and durational aesthetic as he alternates between the humanness of the individual dancers on stage and the objects of artistic beauty they are embodying in their controlled and stylized movements. In particular, Mr. Dameron was drawn to the contrast between the smooth, refined exterior of marble and the agonizing, contortions of pain within the body as seen in Greek and Roman statues.

Lexi Cipriano, choreographer of Hinder, is interested in the individual facing obstacles and how our perceptions of what is happening leads us to decision making that informs and creates the path of our lives. Ms. Cipriano explores the energy of spatial dynamics and pathways on stage to offer a poetic and abstract physical interpretation of stress, questioning, assumption, fear, and frustration for the soloist in a sea of shifting pressures.

Invite You to Surrender, choreographed by Morgan Geraghty, invites the audience and the dancers to give in to the music and the chaos therein. This piece dives into a dichotomous world, as the soloist finds herself stuck between aspiration for perfection and acceptance of the craziness of life. Ms. Geraghty's work emerges from adherence to and breakage from driving, beat heavy music, fusing contemporary and modern dance techniques to communicate the value of release and surrender.

Opening the second half of the program, UCSB Dance Company performs Assistant Professor Brandon Whited's 95 North-originally developed through a commission for Santa Barbara Dance Theater in May 2019. 95 North examines the call of the north, wanderlust for opportunity and growth, and the youthful audacity to dream of a life beyond one's current circumstances. Utilizing group form and featured roles from within the ensemble, 95 North reflects the myriad paths we might take in life, and the varied perspectives we hold. The work draws from Prof. Whited's personal history of growth, travel and the process of becoming through self-citation and the aesthetics, physicality and experiences that shaped his relationship to dance.

Whitney Ross, delves into a fantastical, surreal experience for audience and dancers as a way of investigating obsession and infatuation in her new work, in: somnia. Through a progression from focused unity and calm abandon devolving into chaos and conflicting individual experiences, the movement explores the isolating effect of getting lost in one's daydreams. With an interesting shift of perspective that uses the forestage area, Ms. Ross blurs the line between the audience and the dancers.

Closing the program is Gina Schemenauer's, The Reality of Degas. This piece brings to life impressionist painter Edgar Degas' artwork of ballet dancers. Choreographed by Gina Schemenauer, this ballet pointe piece begins within the realm of classical ballet centering on Degas' famous The Dancing Class painting. It then transforms into a darker, more contemporary ballet movement, expressing the unseen struggle of ballet. Told through the lens of the individual contemplating their role in the art form of ballet, this piece falls in line with the broader concepts of fitting in culturally and what it takes to thrive and survive.

Supported by the vision and mentorship of Ann Bruice, three student costume designers, Janelle Provost, Savannah Lo and Winnie Tin have worked in collaboration with the student choreographers to flesh out the choreographic ideas with stunning and evocative costume designs. Each student designer begins with the concepts in the imagination of the choreographers and expands the focus of the dance creation to include the visual elements present in the costuming color, style and textural qualities. As the dance is built, the costumes are conceived and built in tandem. This collaboration is one of the highlights of our program for both choreography students and design students.

Join us as we explore how the individual relates to society and how each of us strives to be part of the world while remaining true to ourselves! Tickets are available at the UCSB Theater and Dance box office, by phone at (805) 893 - 2064, and online at www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu.

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