The University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance is tackling subjects like grief and resilience with “Spring to Dance” performances this week.
The one-act collaborative performance is showing March 8 and March 9 at 7:30 p.m. on the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts main stage.
The program will feature three pieces choreographed by UW faculty members Jennifer Deckert, Neild Humphrey, Andre Megerdichian and Margaret Wilson, a piece by guest choreographer Jamie Johnson and works choreographed by Jose Limon and Jesse Obremski during the Snowy Range Dance Festival this summer.
“All the work is quite contemporary, so it’s exposing audiences to the range of modern dance,” Wilson said. “I think each of the pieces in a way is about celebrating the human spirit and that’s what dancing is in my mind.”
The program opens with one of the dances introduced during the Snowy Range Dance Festival, “A Choreographic Offering.” This 1964 work was modernized by dance pioneer Jose Limon and has been rehearsed by the dancers since the summer.
“Transiens,” choreographed by Wilson and Humphrey, explores how the world presents itself in glimpses. With performers on stage dancing and performers offstage controlling ropes for the abandoned buildings and urban landscapes, they create a disparate environment for the dancers to discover and explore.
“It’s about how we’re here one day and gone the next, or how we’re here one moment and gone the next,” Wilson said.
The second piece rehearsed since the summer, Jesse Obremski’s “Courage,” is a rich piece up for interpretation by the audience, Wilson said.
“From my perspective as an audience member, I can see the resilience of the human spirit when we’re being challenged when we’re being bullied and how we help each other and don’t help each other,” Wilson said.
“In Fates’ Hands,” choreographed by Johnson, turns the program to a more lighthearted theme with characterization of witches brewing up spells and fighting with one another. The piece explores Greek mythology with the three fates that had the power to determine humans’ destinies.
The penultimate piece, “What Remains,” is a collaboration between Mergerdichian and UW assistant professor of percussion, Andrew Wheelock. The choreographer and composer connected over both their mothers dying from cancer. “What Remains” is an homage to their experience and grief process.
“The dancers and the musicians are both trying to represent what that struggle is, but also what remains after, what is left and the lessons these incredible women taught to their sons,” Deckert said.
The performance closes with a spritely hoedown choreographed by Deckert. “Frontiers” features a Wyoming landscape and connects all Wyomingites and individuals in the Midwest.
“It’s a really diverse show, so it really allows you to experience the range of humanity,” Deckert said.
Tickets cost $7 for students, $14 for the public and $11 for senior citizens. Tickets are available at the Wyoming Union information desk and the Performing Arts box office or by calling 307-766-6666 or going online at UWyo.edu/finearts.
