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The Washington and Lee Repertory Dance Company will perform in “W&L Dancers Create …” at the Lenfest Center for the Arts next weekend.
Performances will start at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30, and Friday, Dec. 1, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Presented by the Department of Theater, Dance and Film Studies, the hour-long evening concert, under the artistic direction of professor Jenefer Davies, will be comprised of work choreographed by guest artists and students, and will explore a broad range of thematic concepts, designs, and movement styles.
“Sit. Stay. Down.”, choreographed by dancer/performer/educator Vivian Kim, was created in response to personal experiences and Kim’s research into the philosophies and lexicon of Confucian Analects for Women —ancient teachings that have persisted as a basis for East Asian/Asian-American women’s lifestyle, behavior, and self-worth. Born into a traditional South Korean family but raised in the United States, Kim, through this piece, explores her personal experience of reconciling Eastern and Western lifestyles and life-expectations.
“Our Thin Veils” is choreographed by Native American/Irish choreographer Shaleigh Comerford. The work explores the desire to break hive mentality while navigating the instinct to retreat into belonging. In it, each individual is celebrated as completely unique, bumping up against the cultural, societal, and familial conditioning that limits and simultaneously grows us all. Throughout the work, the dancers gradually expose their vulnerability, gaining the courage to share their humanity.
Washington and Lee students created the balance of the program. Seniors Lily Petsinger and Angela Tu created “Duality,” which juxtaposes the light and dark, the humility and pride, and the feebleness and grit of women, and highlights the power in combining femininity and ferocity.
“Sustained,” by Charlotte Peete, is a contemporary ballet work inspired by variations within the classical ballet “Sleeping Beauty” and is set to the same music.
Elise McPherson choreographed “Geometry Lesson,” a contemporary piece that explores the boxes society places on women and their struggle to escape.
Aerial dance is presented through “Cherished,” a work for lyra by Misha Lin, who intertwines the desire for intimacy and tenderness with moments of empathy and vulnerability, and articulates that balance through grounded and aerial movement. “Olive Trees,” a bungee duet created by Irina Koleva, explores healing parts of ourselves that have been damaged.
On curating this performance artistic director Jenefer Davies said, “Bringing together professional guest artists, faculty, and students creates a beautiful synergy. A palpable force of teaching and learning is created as people unite in a shared collaborative experience. Together they take risks, learn, and grow, through and in the artistic process.”
