Students will present collaborative multimedia dance projects March 27-28
dancEnsemble will perform March 27-28 (Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
DancEnsemble — a performing company in the Department of Dance — will present their winter concert March 27-28 in the Dance Studio Theater (185 RB).
The company focuses on student choreography, performance and interdisciplinary collaboration, and this semester’s production is a partnership between dance and film. Student choreographers and filmmakers worked in tandem to create pieces that weave together both mediums. The concert will include traditional dance film, as well as projections, moving landscapes and live off-site footage.
Dance film is a rapidly growing niche in the performing world, and exposure to the craft is vital for a professional dancer.
“One of the things I try to convey to the dancers is that if you are planning to go on in a dance career, people will assume you can perform,” said Kate Monson, the company’s faculty director. “That is a given. They need to know what else you can bring to the table. Even a performer has to bring something beyond their technical skills these days. DancEnesemble is a really important place to do that.”
This concert in particular is giving students valuable hands-on experience with interdisciplinary integration.
“I’m interested in how dance and film can enhance each other,” said Fallon Fristoe, a member of the company. “Dance films are really popular, and this is a great opportunity to step into a medium that’s already well established.”
Fristoe, who is both choreographing and creating a film for the concert, has found fulfillment and growth in the collaboration.
“I have to learn how to edit a film, but I also have to think about the choreographic process,” said Fristoe. “It’s a lot, but it’s something that’s worth it to me. I’m able to enter into all the fields that I’m interested in and make them work together.”
Tickets and Show Details
Performance Dates and Times: March. 27-28 | 7:30 p.m. and March 28 | 2:00 p.m.
Location: Dance Studio Theatre, 185 Stephen L. Richards Building (RB)
Price: $7
Tickets: Available in person at the BYU Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center Ticket Office, by phone at (801) 422-2981 or online at byuarts.com