Spring Break
Dancing through time
Kari Sweisford
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Some of the pieces related directly to history and others played on time itself, according to Kristen Smith, a choreographer and fourth year Biomedical Engineer student.
Miriam Giguere, dance program director, said she selected the theme a year in advance.
"The theme challenges the choreographers to think in new ways," she said.
Smith's piece, "Invincible," covered the 1920s, 1960s and modern day. She said she was inspired by how she grew up, history and not having many women in her major. This is the second piece that Smith has choreographed at Drexel.
"It's a unique experience that doesn't end until the night of the show," she said.
Biomedical Engineering graduate student, Lauren Ciccarelli, choreographed "Grief to Grace," which was inspired by John F. Kennedy's assassination. She said the beginning of Kate Havnevick's song "Grace" made her think of Kennedy, and she considered it "a memorable and sad event in history."
"Ruin & Renewal," choreographed by Ilana Gelfand, a sophomore majoring in Fashion Design and Merchandising, focused on women's rights and showed different points in time. She chose to use the song "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap.
"[I] wanted to make people happy during a sad song," Gelfand said.
In addition to student choreographers, two guest choreographers, Marianela Boan and Stephen Welsh, also contributed pieces to the show.
Giguere said she chooses guest choreographers that have a different style than she has. She wanted them to be located in the Philadelphia area, or close to it, so that the dancers have a chance to work with them again. There are always two to three guest choreographers for each concert.
Boan, who has choreographed in Switzerland, Scotland, Spain, Holland and other countries, choreographed a piece titled "Barrier" for the winter concert.
Welsh's piece, "Phantom Troops," was inspired by World War II, specifically by the U.S. Army's 23 Special Forces.
The dance program has been at Drexel for the past 30 years. Each year, there are two concerts performed, one in the winter and one in the spring. There is always a theme for the winter concert; past themes have included contrasts, thresholds, locations and moving images.
Beginning in September 2008, there will be a dance major offered at Drexel. Giguere said that this is due to Drexel's merger with Hahnemann Hospital, which offers a master's program in dance movement therapy.
"The program will track students toward their master's there," Giguere said.
The other student choreographers consisted of Rebecca Green and Caroline Mack for "Before Time Flies By," Celeste Arcana for "Continuum," Brittany Gunther for "Athena & Aphrodite" and Jenna Rose Pepe for "Breakaway."
All of the student choreographers also performed in the concert. There were 30 different majors represented at the concert, made up of both undergraduate and graduate students.
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