Link to the full program:  https://principia.edu/danceprod2022  

This show was filmed live in the Duvall Theatre in the McVay Center for the Performing Arts at Morey on the Principia College campus.

Notes about the production from the Artistic Director, Erin Lane:

This year we are excited to finally be back in the theatre and performing for the first time in McVay for Dance Production 2022! Last year we were on the Chapel Green for our first ever site-specific dance show in Principia history. It was glorious! However, the level stage floor, forgiving sprung wood, and marley dance floor has been a relief for sore feet. Thinking about lighting and staging in the more traditional sense once again has ignited a sense of nostalgia and excitement as we come home to the theatre.

Our return to the theatre is particularly special because of the history of the space we are coming back to. Some people on campus may remember that the stage space of the Duvall Theatre was formerly the Morey dance studio and had been the home of the dance program circa 1970s. All dance alums have special memories in the space. Though I’m not a Prin alum, I too, have many special memories in Morey. One of my favorites was lying in the empty studio, on the sun-warmed marley dance floor, in front of the big ol’ window, next to the barre, in the middle of winter, waiting for a ballet class to start. 

This year we are excited to have several alumni involved in the show. Please join me in welcoming two alumni choreographers, one alumni composer, and twelve alumni performers. Some of these alumni are still in the arts, for others it’s a serious hobby that they couldn’t do without, and for others dance has opened the door into lifelong fitness practices. They are all ecstatic to be dancing in their old Morey dance studio again and I am so pleased to have them with us.

The student choreographers and performers this year are completely overjoyed to be a part of what feels like a “normal” or “traditional” dance production. After two years of expanding our creativity, stretching our performance skills in new directions, and breaking boundaries with our performance venue (2020 all-virtual; 2021 site-specific and virtual) the current students are very much looking forward to presenting Dance Production 2022 to you on a stage! Choreographers have worked diligently to regain a few long lost skills—such as directing dancers how to execute lifts and connect with one another onstage. Looking at one another in the eyeballs and remembering to smile have seemed like foreign languages when they used to be second nature. “Oh, right, we have to think about our faces again!”

The resilience and open hearts these dancers bring to the stage is unforgettable. They’ve been through the entire production process from open auditions, callbacks, casting, rehearsals, feedback (peer, faculty, guests), working with costume and light designers, marketing the show, technical rehearsals, and performance! The show is a culmination of faculty, guest, and student choreography exploring themes of eternality of life, burnout, self-image, joy, relationships, and love. The students have worked very hard over the twelve week production timeline and we are proud to present Dance Production 2022! Enjoy the show!

This show is in loving memory of Rachael Ostheim 

Special Thanks

The Department of Theatre and Dance is grateful for the annual financial support of the Dunbar Endowed FUND FOR DANCE at The Principia. Due to a generous donation in 2010 from the Steve and Carole Goodale Fund, the FUND FOR DANCE principal has increased significantly. We want to thank each and every contributor for their dedication to Dance at Principia. It is truly appreciated.

Thanks to Eric Lines, Toms Musts and their crew for their work on the virtual show.

Huge thank you to Alex Hauf-Belden and his crew for helping set up the tech and hang the cyc.

To learn more about Theatre and Dance at Principia College, visit our website:

http://www.principiacollege.edu/theatre-dance

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