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November 14 , 2005

Fall dance concert unfolds in Schwartz Center, Nov. 17–19

BY anna leo

When the Emory Dance Company’s fall concert, “Contemporary Dance Unfolding,” takes the Schwartz Center spotlight Nov. 17–19, it will feature four new works, including one by Brian Reeder from the American Ballet Theater and one by Atlanta-based artist Celeste Miller. Rounding out the program are two restaged works from the recent faculty concert.

Brian Reeder’s contemporary ballet for 11 dancers, titled “Waiting, Just Waiting,” is set to music by Ravel. The work explores the human experience of waiting for someone or something that may or may not arrive. Reeder, who has danced with the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater and Ballet Frankfurt, now choreographs for the American Ballet Theater Studio Company. Reeder completed a residency this fall with the Emory Dance Program, during which he constructed the new work, taught classes and spoke at events about his career.

Miller’s choreographic work has hinged on her ability to combine movement with text and to draw on the authentic movement of the performers with whom she is working. Her work for the Emory Dance Company’s Fall Concert, 12 Epiphanies, 1,848 Revolutions & 77 Ways to Save Ourselves,” is the beginning of a multiyear project.

“The idea for the piece came about when I heard the story of ‘The Pearl,’ a 52-foot schooner that was chartered by a group of 77 free and enslaved blacks in 1848 in Washington,” she said. “My imagination was stung with the courage and determination of these people. I asked myself, ‘What are the ways that we save ourselves? What epiphany do we have that we take action to change our lives?’”

Emory dance faculty members Sheri Latham and Lori Teague also created new works for the company, each in her own genre. Latham continues to explore her interest in using the classical ballet vocabulary in new ways; though her duet for two women will be performed en pointe (toe shoes), she has asked the dancers to explore the broader range of movement that reaches outside the boundaries of the academy. Latham is collaborating with Emory graduate and media expert Stig Rasmussen to create this multimedia piece, which incorporates video.

Teague is premiering a section of a larger work titled “Doors That Open.” Staged for eight dancers, it frames individuals who have metaphorically knocked down doors, allowing or creating possibilities for others. Klimchak, longtime collaborator with both the Emory Dance Program and Theater Emory, is composing a score for Teague’s work that will be partnered with dialogue.

Dance faculty members George Staib and Anna Leo are restaging works that premiered as part of the September faculty concert. Staib resets his “Gargoyles” to choral music by Handel, visualizing the baroque music and “finding humor within the labored and meaning amidst the frivolity,” Staib said.

Leo restages her solo “Sun Dial,” which uses sound, light and movement to abstractly trace the course of a day. Music for the piece was created by Steve Everett, associate professor of music, and the dance will be
performed by student Jessica Moore.

Performances are Nov. 17–19 at 8 p.m., with a matinee on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m., in the Schwartz Center Dance Studio. For more information or to purchase tickets ($8, general admission; $6, discount groups/students),
call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu.

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