Mariya Amrayeva
mamrayev@uwyo.edu
Friday the world-premiere dance work was staged at UW Arts & Science Auditorium.
“Harlem on My Mind” and two other dancing pieces were performed at the Gala Concert of Dance Theater of Harlem, which became a culmination of two-week long company residency organized by Department of Theater and Dance. On September 18-29 students and teachers of the Department of Theater and Dance had an opportunity to attend classes and workshops by leading artists and choreographer of DTH, and observe the Company rehearsing. DTH Teaching Artists are staying and teaching classes for UW dancers for the rest of the Fall semester.
Dr. Margaret Wilson, former professor of the Department of Theater and Dance discussed the importance of the visit of world famous professionals to the University of Wyoming.
The world premiere work at UW means that every time it’s performed in the future there will be a statement in the program saying that it was first performed at and commissioned by the University of Wyoming.
“It puts us on the artistic map as being someone, who is willing to invest in the Arts, and has the resources to be able to bring a project of this magnitude to a state, where most people don’t think of international status in the Arts. It gives us something to be proud of,” says Wilson.
The project started with the Teaching Artist from Dance Theater of Harlem, the former dancer, who came in, and set a piece on UW students, and taught classes.
“Her expectations of the students, and her love of dance elevated them to such a high state, even before the company came,” shares Wilson. “Chance to meet professional dancers, to take class from them, to see how they are focused, how they take care of their bodies, and then to watch them performing on stage, will leave an impression on the dancers in our program, so that they will set higher expectations for themselves.”
The highest point of the project, in mind of Wilson, became a choreographer, who was commissioned to set the last piece of the Gala Concert, “Harlem on My Mind”, on UW students.
Wilson says he set it very quickly, and gave them an opportunity to perform it in December at “Fall for Dance” concert.
“So, their ability to see world-class Company, and to work with world-class teachers and choreographer, has changed the minds of students already,” says Wilson.
Dance Theater of Harlem influenced not only students, but teachers of the University as well.
Professors of the Department of Theater and Dance attended the classes DTH with their students. They were observing their students being taught by guests, and evaluated their work.
“As a teacher you learn a lot about what your students know by watching them taking classes from other people,” says Wilson. She says she learned a lot during these workshops.
“Sometimes we have one approach on how to teach students. And it’s lovely to see another approach to try to accomplish the same thing that you are trying to do. It opens up your mind in thinking about how else I could give that correction, how else could I inspire students” continues Wilson.
The Department of Theater and Dance is proud to host world-class guests, and looks forward to bringing other big projects to UW.
It took Marsha Knight, the former professor of Ballet, Composition and Historical Dance, about two years to make the Residency of DTH Company a reality. Long-term relationships with the ballet master and ballet mistress of DTH, who have been teaching for UW at the Summer Dance Festival for a number of years also played a role.
Financial support was provided by President’s office and funding from the state. The fund for the Department of Theater and Dance was called “Eminent Artists fund.” This provided UW an opportunity to bring composers, visual artists, directors and dance companies on campus.
“And then we focus on smaller projects as well. We are trying to find the ways to secure funding to continue bringing guest artists, because we see the value of it for not only our students, but for the university community, and the community of state at large. So, those funds have been suspended, and so we will just keep working with our colleagues, and, hopefully, they will be able to bring in some of that funding back,” says Wilson.
