OU School of Dance to Present Annual

Young Choreographers' Showcase, January 26-29, 2012

Diana Robertson's "D.S." is performed to
 Frederick Chopin's Nocturn in F# Minor.  Photo provided

 The OU School of Dance, in collaboration with University Theatre, will present four days of graduate and undergraduate choreography during the Young Choreographers' Showcase (YCS), January 26, 27, 28 at 8:00 p.m. and January 29 at 3:00 p.m. With works ranging from classical ballet to contemporary dance, the audience will see eight pieces created by students within the OU School of Dance's ballet and modern programs.

The current program is under the supervision of YCS coordinators and School of Dance faculty members Steve Brule, Derrick Minter and Clara Cravey, as well as OU School of Dance Director Mary Margaret Holt. All performances will take place at the Rupel J. Jones Theatre located at 563 Elm Avenue, Norman, Oklahoma.

Charlotte Hart, graduate student in the School of Dance, will present a quirky and light-hearted piece titled --

With bright colored costumes and vibrant lighting design, Hart's ballet aims to capture every child (and child-at-heart's) love for classic Nintendo video games. With her cast of seven dancers, Hart combines pointe work, petite allegro and playful music that alludes to the Nintendo theme song to paint a picture of every child's dream: a real-life video game.

Austin Lintner's neoclassical dance "Vitality."
Photo provided

Junior Ballet Performance major Austin Lintner will open the program with his pas de trois, Vitality, set to music by Jake Shimabukuro. Lintner's neoclassical piece aims to project to the audience the elation and excitement one feels while performing. 

Diana Robertson, a Modern Dance Performance senior, brings a new take on Frederic Chopin's Nocturne in F# Minor in her work titled D.S. “Chopin's music is often used alongside classical ballet,” Robertson said.

Brett Young's piece Sammen Som Én, set to music by Icelandic group Sigur Ros, is a meditation on the journey taken by two people engaged in a meaningful relationship. 

Nathan will present his work Ineffable Soulstice, in which he demonstrates the idea that subliminal energy is constantly present through everyday interactions. Following Young's piece, Modern Dance senior Terra Easter explores the relationships of dancers onstage alongside the haunting beauty of the cello in her work Weightless: An Ode to Cello. 

Jammie Walker, Outstanding Senior in the College of Fine Arts, will present his choreography in 6 out of 5, set to music by Victor Wooten.  “I am very interested in the process of creating technical, yet original movement,” Walker said. 

Christopher Frazier's contemporary work, The Hocket, will conclude the YCS production. With a cast of six dancers on stage and a live drummer, Ricardo Souza, Frazier's work uses the “call and response” pattern in music and relates it to human relationships. 

For tickets contact the fine arts box office at 405-325-4101 Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The fine arts box office is located on the OU campus in the Catlett Music Center on the corner of Elm Ave and Boyd Street in Norman, Oklahoma.

From the press release