Although satin, balloons and mulch are three seemingly unrelated objects, last weekend, Emory Dance Company (EDC) used all three in their fall semester performance at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.
The show was made up of five dance pieces choreographed by Emory faculty from the Department of Theater and Dance and guest choreographers from Atlanta.
Senior LecturerGreg Catellier choreographed the first piece, “You, Me, and Us,” which was athletic, personal and moody, with movements that required extra muscle and relied heavily on the exploration of human relationships.By having the dancers come together and then move apart, the choreography emphasized being alone versus being in a group.
“This particular dance deals with group dynamics, the individual and mood,” Catellier said. “How the individual can feel like ‘the other,’ and how the group can unknowingly reinforce that feeling or, contrarily, embrace the individual.”
Mara Mandradjieff, an Emory dance instructor, choreographed “Satin and Tulle.” The piece was the most classical in style of the five, and performed to Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 9 in E Flat Major, Op. 117. The four dancers onstage moved to the most balletic choreography of the night.
One of the most striking elements of the piece was the strands of satin tied to the dancers’ wrists and ankles that seemed to stretch on and on as they ran out from the wings of the stage, cutting across the open space.
Kristin O’Neal, a former Emory dance instructor and the first guest collaborator of the night, choreographed the piece “Never Far Away.”
College junior Clara Guyton, who was part of the large ensemble cast in O’Neal’s piece described the choreography as vibrant and personal.
“Kristin’s work is high energy with a circular quality,” Guyton said. “The first section of the piece is about getting caught up in the chaotic, busy routine of everyday life, while the calmer second section is about finding connection.”
After O’Neal’s piece was the work of another guest choreographer, MaryGrace Phillips, who is a recipient of the 2015 Emerging Artist Award in Dance, awarded by the City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and an active participant in the Atlanta dance community.
Her work for EDC, entitled “in meditation of triangles (which are not labyrinths) I and II,” was unique in that the dancers were not accompanied by music. Furthermore, the piece had two versions of the choreography that alternated between the performances over the weekend.
In the silence, with balloons strewn around the stage, the dancers performed choreography that seemed alien and complex, yet had a soft, thoughtful quality.
Guyton also performed in Phillips’ piece. She described the work behind the choreography, which relied on intention to create distinct, individualistic movement.
“MaryGrace’s work is detailed, feminine, soft, and otherworldly,” she said. “We spent hours writing and working in order to create a universe unique to each of us that conveyed the concept of waiting. The piece is completely in silence with balloons scattered across the floor. The work is an honor to perform as a dancer and artist, partly because the process in creating this work was so rich.”
Following the quiet introspection of Phillips’ piece, the fast-paced work of Emory Senior Lecturer George Staib provided a considerable contrast. The frantic energy of Staib’s “Moat” radiated from the dancers.
College junior Eliza Krakower, who performed in Staib’s piece, described the amount of stamina required for the dance.
“In the dance there was a lot of fast-paced movement and throwing ourselves to the ground, only to quickly stand up again and keep moving quickly,” Krakower said. “By the end of the 14 minutes we were all pretty exhausted and very out of breath.”
The dance, which was a mixture of Staib’s choreography and improvisation from the dancers, was also unique in that it was accompanied by mulch — and a lot of it.
“Throughout the piece, we introduced the mulch to the space by sprinkling it, covering each other with it and throwing it,” Krakower said. “Eventually, it was spread across the stage … It was very powerful to be dancing at full-force and also feel chunks of mulch brush your arm as a fellow dancer hurls it onto the stage. The mulch brought a new component to our dancing.”
The creative license Staib took by adding the mulch created an interesting element to the piece that left a lasting impression on the audience, as well as on the dancers.
After experiencing the entire performance, it seemed clear that each piece was unique in a wonderfully weird way. Some of the dancers agreed that EDC gives them a community of dancers within which they can experiment with this kind of movement and improvisation.
“The Emory dance department has become such a strong and close-knit group of friends for me,” Krakower said. “It’s such a warm and welcoming community and it brings together dancers from all different backgrounds … Being a part of the choreographic process with [Atlanta’s most gifted choreographers] is a whole new type of experience.”
In the end, the quirks, the introspection and the athleticism of the performances all seemed to stem from a singular love of dance.
“I dance because I can’t imagine my life without it,” Guyton said. “It brings me joy and purpose. When I am in the studio creating and moving, I feel the most alive.”
