A highlight of the University of Wisconsin this scholastic year is “Illuminate: Year of the Arts,” a campus-wide celebration covering the depth, power and purpose of artistic exploration. The UW Dance Department will be contributing to the celebration this weekend with “SlightSwitches.” This concert features original works choreographed by nine students and one faculty member as well as many student dancers.
“I think part of the ‘Year of the Arts’ is not just celebrating art on campus; it is also celebrating students in the arts and the opportunities that this university gives students to perform,” student choreographer Kit Stanley said. “It really is incredible the amount that you get to perform here if you want to. I think that is a celebration of itself. Also being able to see student work and present your own work, that is pretty incredible too. I am a senior here, and this is my third piece that I have personally choreographed in a student show. That’s pretty unusual at a large university.”
Stanley’s work, which is focused on women’s roles in society and the female body, is titled “( ) ‘Bots.” For this piece, she chose the song “Edge” from Japanese pop group Perfume.
“I wanted something that was really upbeat and had a strong feminine pulse in it but that wasn’t English so people wouldn’t get distracted by the words,” she said. “There is a tendency in dance, for people, especially who are not usual goers of dance theater, [to] take songs and really listen to the lyrics and try to find meaning in that and connect it to the dance. I wanted to remove that as an option… You hear these really strong female voices and this strong club vibe, and it really lends the air that you want to the piece without necessarily complicating it with lyrical content.”
“SlightSwitches” uses a very diverse set of music – not just foreign lyrics. Everything from classical to electronic to some mainstream music is featured in the 10 various pieces, but “it is all kind of a little off-base and bizarre,” Stanley said.
Many students began the choreography process early. Two to four faculty members comprised a panel of judges that viewed the 30 or so pieces auditioned last November. Callbacks were in January, which is where the nine student works were chosen. One choreographer, however, began working on her piece a lot earlier. Junior Shelby Sonnenberg has been working on “Interlaced” since the beginning of last semester.
Sonnenberg took a class during the fall semester that required choreography of a piece without having the creator perform in the same piece.
“You are able to see your work more clearly. Rather than being in it, you feel something completely different,” Sonnenberg said, whose piece showcases different human relationships and interactions.
The concert ranges in pieces that are modern, contemporary or abstract to funny and whimsical to intimate and dark, while some pieces are much more literal and commercial in their appeal.
“I’m really excited that this concert is so diverse. There really is a wide variety of topics and ideas that the students are exploring right now, which I think is pretty exciting,” Stanley said.
Junior Janelle Bentley, whose piece is titled “Threshold,” echoes Stanley’s opinion.
“There are a lot of different perspectives here, and I think all of the choreographers have really showcased their own ideas of what dance is and what choreography is. I think there is probably something for everyone,” Bentley said.
“We hope to inspire other people when they come, too,” Stanley added.
Shows for “SlightSwitches” are Feb. 24-26 at 8 p.m. at the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space in Lathrop Hall. Admission is $15 for the general public and $10 for students and seniors – except Feb. 24, when student tickets are $5. Tickets may be purchased in advance in person at the Wisconsin Union Theater Box Office, 800 Langdon Street; by phone at 265-ARTS and online at www.uniontheater.wisc.edu.
