Culture
OU Dancers Tackle Tough Topics In Senior Concert
By: Domonique Alexander
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Tonight through Saturday, Nov. 20, The Ohio University Division of Dance will present its bi-annual senior concert.
13 graduating seniors will showcase their performances, many self-choreographed solos or collaborations with other students. The pieces are meant to serve as a reflection of the performers, dealing with themes such as mental health, sisterhood, the nature of death and more.
Taking place twice a year, the recital stands as the last major requirement to be fulfilled so that the dances can earn their M.F.A.’s.
Despite the seemingly-effortless beauty onstage, the performances have been the production of an entire semester’s worth of grueling work.
“Rehearsals were six hours a week since September,” said senior Caroline Ciferno. “Plus outside planning for me as a choreographer entailed first figuring out what I wanted to make a dance about because I tend to choreograph with a very strong conceptual idea in mind.”
Ciferno’s performance for the concert consists of a group piece featuring other students in the course, however the additional help of her peers has proven to be no less challenging.
“I spend hours in the studio just generating movements myself to put on my dancers. And then there’s all the other stuff to think about last like music and costumes,” she said.
The technical aspects, such as choosing music include having to obtain the rights for certain songs which can come with a hefty price tag. The hours of work spent in the studio can expectedly exert a substantial amount of strain on the body. Dancers were also subjected to an auditioning process at the beginning of the semester.
Often dismissed due to the seemingly effortless forms of dancers onstage, the world of dance itself consists of long hours, strict diets and balancing dance with other academics.
“Physically, studying dance is exhausting, but extremely rewarding,” said Junior Lily Gelfand. “We begin with our technique classes in the morning, where we focus on strengthening and deepening our technique. Then we go into our academic dance courses and courses for other classes or majors. After all of this we then go into rehearsals and aren’t done sometimes until 10 p.m. It’s normal for us to dance seven to eight hours in addition to our academic courses, other majors if we have them, and also work a job on the side.”
“Additionally, because our major is centered so much around our bodies, we have to be careful how we eat, exercise sleep, and generally take care, which can be difficult being a college student, financially and mentally,” said Gelfand. “Not to mention the pressures of living in a party town. Learning to balance our time and be flexible is really necessary, especially in a field that has become so competitive.”
The 13 seniors set to perform are somewhat of an oddity, with the fall 2015 dance concert featuring only four dancers. Such a large number however presents the opportunity for diversity and a wide range of performances as well as collaborations.
Following their graduation, the dancers will part ways. As Gelfand mentioned, the nature of dance is highly competitive. Films such as Darren Arronofsky’s 2010 Black Swan and Nicholas Hynter’s 2000 Center Stage have provided dramatic depictions of those in the dance world and their struggle to attain perfection, profession, and the dreams of becoming world-renowned. A professional dance career can be short-lived, leading many to consider other options.
“A dance-career is very rarely a nine-to-five career,” said Gelfand. “Post-graduation for a dancer usually means both teaching to all ages, choreographing, dancing for various projects, teaching somatics, joining companies, cruise-lines and more.”
The fall senior dance concert will take place in the Shirley Wimmer Dance Theatre located in Putnam Hall next to the RTV building.
Shows will take place at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. each day. Tickets are free for students with an OU ID, and $8 for all others. Ticketing information can be found at the Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium located on East Union street. For more ticketing information contact the box office at (740) 593-1780.