reinvigorated this Romantic-era production to explore gender transgression, queer identity, and feminist perspectives. Funds provided through the Alumni Grants for Graduate Research and Scholars supported collaborations with set designer, Nicole Bauguss, and costume designer, Michael J. Morris. Alejandra Jara’s M.F.A. project, “Passenger,” examined the impact of cultural living experiences based on travel and how those experiences informed her choreography and performance. As a point of departure, she was inspired by her questions about “being in transit.” Later, this resolved in connections made related to identity, relationships and the feelings associated with traveling. She was not talking about a country, or a specific culture, but about the stages people go through as human beings transferred to movement qualities and sensations. The creator used metaphor through movement qualities, space and relationships. Having bodies collapse, fall, be off balance, shake, struggle and float were the sustenance of the piece. For Jara, being in transit is a combination of so many things, such as, country, relationships, culture shock, memories, being vulnerable and encountering change; she feels that experiencing different situations is part of our lives and is what makes individuals who they are. Kristen Jeppsen Groves presented “[ME]thod” at The Ohio State University’s Spring Concert Here, Then, Us, and the Other at Sullivant Theatre from April 14-16, 2011. (R) "Passenger" by Alejandra Jara (M.F.A. 2011). As an emerging arts advocate, Jeppsen Groves Photo courtesy Alejandra Jara. combined the intricate configurations of policy processes with complex, athletic choreography On Monday, November 8, 2010, Lisa Ferrugia to intersect an unlikely combination of dance and policy processes. Her physically dynamic Atkinson presented a lecture/demonstration entitled This Physical Body is the Meeting Place piece explored various aspects of policy creations from the complex relationships of of Worlds. Examining the lyric possibilities and characters affecting policy decisions to the choreographic dimensions of the written and spoken word, the program combined an informal humorous and exposing nature of policy language. [ME]thod highlighted the art of choreography showing with a literary reading problem solving and negotiations through that showcased excerpts of dance and writing movement while seeking the embodied created by Ferrugia Atkinson. The lecture/ humanity behind political processes. demonstration took place in Sullivant Hall’s Studio 1, and was well-attended by both faculty In February, Betsy Miller presented her and students from multiple OSU departments. M.F.A. project, “Everyone Loves a Parade,”a contemporary recontextualization of the Courtney Harris, M.F.A. candidate and former dancer with the Houston Ballet, choreographed 1917 Ballets Russes production of Parade. “S(he) Sylph,” a contemporary re-imagination of Set to an edited version of the original score composed by Erik Satie, and featuring original the 1832 ballet, La Sylphide. Harris’ adaptation set design by OSU Department of Art M.F.A. investigated the complexities of narrative and candidate Zachary Podgorny, the piece offers a character development through modern and satirical and absurdist view of modern life balletic movement idioms. Joined by members and popular culture. Miller also premiered of the Royal Renegades, Central Ohio’s “Promises and Other Lies,” a theatrical joyride of premiere drag king troupe, Harris and her cast, chocolate-eating and cynicism wrapped up in including graduate students Erik Abbott-Main, physical humor. Veronica Dittman-Stanich, and Jessica Zeller, (L) “Gently between us" by Teoma Naccarato (M.F.A. 2011). Photo: Melissa Bontempo.
Montreal based artist Teoma Naccarato presents “Gently between us,” an interdisciplinary piece that explores emotional and physical intimacy, mediated via technology. By manipulating cameras onstage, the dancers connect and depart in flesh and video projection, negotiating geographical and felt distance. The project raises questions regarding bodily and virtual presence/ absence that permeate today’s reality of online communication and relationships. Samples of Naccarato’s past work are available at naccarato.org/dance
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After working with the SITI Company this summer, Maungsai Somboon was inspired to start rehearsals for his M.F.A. project. Ultimately titled "Yononaka: In This World of Ours," Somboon and his cast collaboratively created a 20-minute dance-theatre piece that was performed on February 3-5, 2011 in Sullivant Theatre. The piece integrated movement with text and characters and explored the personal landmarks in people’s lives that take place in concert with historical and current events. It
examined issues of race, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, loss and identity through dance and spoken word. The cast was comprised of six graduate students and four undergraduates including two dance majors and two students from the Department of Germanic Studies. The piece featured solos, duets and vignettes from different characters to a score by Oscarwinning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, a clip from The Today Show, Madonna and Marianne Faithful.
On Monday, April 18 at 5pm, Mara Penrose presented a lecture/demonstration that summarized her investigations of large group performance. She explored the possibility of scores, both verbal and Labanotation, to structure and prescribe movement, the lecture included discussion of mass movement spectacles Penrose created during 2010-11 as well as excerpts from a 1930’s “movement choir” arranged by Albrecht Knust. Penrose’s research included organization of three public events with a core cast of eleven amateur dancers plus extras drawn from the core’s social network. Two of the performances were based on the historic movement choir, integrating Penrose’s investigations of notation scores, photographs and other documents held in Laban-related archives at Ohio State and in England; another, the “Arch Park Event” used word scores to organize a large group performance designed after a flash mob. Both projects took place primarily on the Ohio State campus, using social and situational elements of campus life as materials. Between 2010-2011, Maree ReMalia conducted quarterly rehearsal/labs with members of OSU Dance and the local community. Each lab resulted in a performance work. Her compositions of idiosyncratic, seemingly disparate elements emerged from improvisational structures used to awaken the responsive body. Studies in the Gaga movement language and her experiences at Moving on Center School for Participatory Arts greatly impacted her creative process. In her culminating thesis work she presented, “all the little things that are nearly them” featuring Lisa Dietz, Fiona Lundie and Abigail Zbikowski. Source materials were contributed by the public for the cast to investigate the processing of external information then note the distinct results in individual expressions [ mahiree.wordpress.com/mfa-projectsolo-input]. In an effort to make the evolution of the performance pieces accessible, she collaborated with Rachael Riggs Leyva, Michael J. Morris, Mara Penrose and Rashana Smith in the development of an archival website [ merrygogo.com].
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“[ME]thod" by Kristen Jeppsen Groves (M.F.A. 2011). Photo: Melissa Bontempo.
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