Poetry in Motion

By Christopher DaCosta

As rehearsals come to an end, the excitement for the biggest dance show of the year continues to mount. "Images" is an eclectic blend of music genres, dance styles and student experiences. When the show opens on Friday night, the Santa Clara community will get to experience the culmination of many months of footwork and movement choreographed by both faculty and students.

"The week leading up to the show is exciting, but a lot of extra work and long hours are spent to bring the show together," said sophomore dancer Misha Patel. "It is a time to really get into character, feel the music and stay on top of all the other demands of school."

While Patel coordinates her midterm schedule and other commitments with "Images" rehearsal, other dancers are doing the same in a vastly different way. Ed Schaefer, an associate professor in the mathematics and computer science department, is a dancer in this year's show in addition to carrying out his teaching responsibilities.

Schaefer attends modern dance courses at Santa Clara for exercise but did not have any initial intentions of participating in "Images."

"I did not try out for 'Images' because I am not comfortable displacing a paying student in a dance piece that he or she would like to be in," said Schaefer. "So I'd rather only be in a piece if there is no student able to do it."

That's exactly what happened: Schaefer was thrust into the intensity of "Images" rehearsal due to a lack of male dancers.

"There's a shortage of male dancers this year and after a guy pulled out of Kristin Kusanovich's piece, Kristin asked me to fill in," said Schaefer.

Kusanovich is a member of the dance faculty and her modern ballet choreography is featured in the show.

By participating in "Images," Schaefer will follow a few other faculty members who have also participated in the show, such as Aldo Billingslea and Fred Tollini, S.J., both from the theater department.

Dancing with a younger cast proved to be somewhat of an adjustment for Schaefer, yet he finds being a student a comfortable role.

"The students and dance faculty have been terrific and have welcomed me and I feel like 'one of the gang,'" said Schaefer. "It doesn't feel odd for me to be a student."

Schaefer danced in the show's equivalents at the University of California, Davis as an undergraduate and later at Stanford during his research studies. Schaefer compared his experiences to Santa Clara's dance program.

"The quality of both choreography and student dance is the best I've experienced at any of these schools," Schaefer said.

Schaefer describes the large variety of dances pieces to include audience-bedazzling numbers and engaging, thought-provoking works.

With a total of nine performances, the "Images" show encompasses an array of genres. Senior chemistry and theater arts double major Michael MacLaren choreographed one of the five student pieces; a stylized and fluid piece set to a trance and techno soundtrack.

MacLaren's piece was one of four student pieces selected from last fall's "Choreographer's Gallery," a showcase for students to produce their own choreographed piece. In addition, one student piece was selected from fall senior recitals.

"We select them as the ones that we feel will fit in with the show, their rehearsal process and how they developed through the choreography class," said Fran Atlas-Lara, a member of the dance department faculty.

The student choreographed dances run the gamut of themes ranging from fast-paced, visual workouts to innovative combinations of dance styles. Each, though, has its own message.

MacLaren decided to use his dance to focus on emphasizing the experience of the present.

"I've had a lot of different interpretations and I like letting the audience decide what it means to them," he said.

Despite the subjectivity of the audience, MacLaren said that different opinions only add to his dance piece by promoting thought on the subject of existence.

Some of the faculty's pieces engage the audience by creating energizing spectacles of dance. Atlas-Lara was motivated to uplift the audience through her multi-faceted dances; she included a variety of athletic and jazzy dance routines with a swing influence.

"I wanted to do a fun upbeat piece to give the audience a good time, especially with the current events in the world," Atlas-Lara said.

David Popalisky, director of the dance program and a specialist in modern dance style, is incorporating technology in his piece. Using slides and video projection adds another visual element for the audience to enjoy as well as furthering efforts to promote and encourage the inclusion of mixed media in dance performances.

"Adding all that technology in the show is really a new concept which makes the show a little different this year," said Atlas-Lara.

Patel, who dances in two pieces in the show, expressed her respect for the choreographers. "I find it really fascinating to watch a choreographer put his or her thoughts into movement," she said.

Sophomore dancer Melanie Jimenez added that each choreographer has a unique approach but there are a few standard steps in the process of creating the flow behind the dance.

"Typically, you start out getting to know each other as a cast and then you discuss the themes and ideas that the choreographer hopes to portray through the piece," Jimenez said.

An annual collection of dances, "Images" manages to remain unique with different approaches and styles.

"There are a lot of relationships between the dancers throughout the show; it has a lot of sensuality in a lot of the pieces," MacLaren said. "So in that sense it is very deep and will tap into everyone's emotional space."

"The pieces this year are each very unique and really show the audience how much can be done with dance, and how entertaining it can be in so many different ways," Patel agreed, adding, "I really feel that anyone that comes to see this show will be happy they did; you don't have to know anything about dance or have even seen a dance show before to enjoy 'Images.'"