Gabriel Thomas ’24 sits down Abby Aitken ’24, co-president of the COW Dance Company, to discuss the upcoming dance concert.
Q: When is the dance concert?
A: Nov. 16, 17 and 18 in Freedlander Theater at 7:30 p.m., in just about a week! And tickets will sell out. We put chairs directly on the stage so that the performance space is 360°, but that means that there are less seats than the normal Freedlander capacity.
Q: When do tickets go on sale?
A: They go on sale Monday 11/13, but they’re free for students. All you have to do is reserve a seat. To get tickets, call (330)-263-2241 or visit Wooster.edu/tickets
Q: What exactly is the dance concert?
A: A collection of nine different dance pieces mainly done in the modern style with elements of hip-hop, contemporary and postmodern. Each one is choreographed by a different student! And it’s done “in the round,” which is just the 360° style of the seating. There is no bad seat! Also, all of the costumes are designed by students.
Q: What is postmodern and contemporary dance?
A: Postmodern dance, the period following modern dance, involves a lot of pedestrian movements in the performance, pushing the boundaries of what dance could be. This could be things like pretending to brush your teeth in the dance piece or brushing your hair, just routine everyday movements brought into the dance environment. Contemporary dance focuses on more emotional aspects of dance, combining modern dance with expressions of emotion.
Q: What themes do the pieces cover?
A: There’s a lot going on across the board! Each piece has its own theme and concept. One of the pieces I’m in deals with themes of perfectionism, portraying a personification of perfectionism through dance. Another is about the different internal and external expressions of stress. There’s one about stars and constellations being personified, there’s one where shadows follow the leaders of the dance in canon throughout the piece. Oh! And we have a chance-based piece! The dancers in this one have learned a collection of steps, and on each night of the concert random cards or a wheel of fortune determines the order in which they are performed. There’s lots of variety!
Q: What do you think the medium of dance conveys well in an artistic sense?
A: Dance captures stories and emotions and feelings and turns them into something you can watch. Like most art, it’s a form of expression. It’s able to convey a lot of important open-ended concepts that mean something different to all three people involved in the performance: the choreographer, the dancer and the audience. In that respect it’s different from other mediums of expression; the other mediums don’t typically use people as their paint.
Be sure to go support the COW Dance Company on Nov. 16, 17 and 18 to get a taste of the postmodern and contemporary dance world!