UofSC Dance Student Choreography Showcase Announced, December 1-4

Six premiere dance works by University of South Carolina dance majors will take the virtual stage December 1-4 as the UofSC dance program presents an online broadcast of its fall Student Choreography Showcase.

Admission is free with an option for donation. Show time is at 7pm nightly. To reserve a virtual seat and receive a streaming link, visit dance.sc.edu and click "Buy Now."

Directed by university dance instructor Erin Bailey, the showcase features original student-created works that have been developed during the fall semester. As with all of the dance program's performances during these socially distant times, the showcase has been adapted to be presented online. For the choreographers, that has meant taking on the extra challenge of incorporating filmmaking into their creative process.

"The dancers are really shifting gears in terms of how they're choreographing," says Bailey. "Choreographing for the camera is quite different than choreographing for the stage. They're working with camera angles, they're working with editing effects, to approach choreography in a new way."

"I have been pushed beyond what I thought I could accomplish," says senior Julia Dunne, whose work entitled Shaping is one of the pieces included. "I never imagined I would be choreographing and directing a dance film, but here I am. Having the freedom to capture dance and arrange it however I want has been daunting but also exciting."

The works created for the concert vary widely in style and theme, as the choreographers have had complete freedom (within COVID-related safety protocols) in producing their dance films. What does link them together, however, is the pandemic that has forced the young dance artists to make art from unfamiliar creative circumstances.

"All the filming happened outside, so there are definitely types of movement that would normally show up in my choreography that weren't possible in the filming locations," says senior choreographer Ellery Jernigan. "This restriction pushed me outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to create something I would not have otherwise."

In addition to Dunne and Jernigan, choreographers whose work will be featured in the concert are Amy Chan, Sofia Justo, Natalie Long and Victoria Young.

"They all kind of volunteered to jump into the deep end," says Bailey of the students. "They're navigating how this process can create meaning. We're all navigating COVID. That's really the common thread."

For more information on the Student Choreography Showcase or the dance program at the University of South Carolina, contact Kevin Bush by phone at 803-777-9353 or via email at bushk@mailbox.sc.edu.

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