For the first time, a musical duo will be accompanied by the Tower Dancers.
“It is going to definitely be something that the audience has never seen before,” Chris McCourry, director of jazz studies and artist/teacher of trumpet, said.
The performance will take place on Feb. 10 in Markel Auditorium.
Corrine Imberski, visiting assistant professor of dance and director of the Tower Dancers, choreographed the “Rhapsody in Blue” piece in which six dancers will perform. The Tower Dancer’s began work back in Oct., and Imberski said they dancers have come a long way, embracing the fun in the music and portraying the characters well.
Freshman Maran Mcleod is excited for the performance.
“We are trying to convey an adventure in the big city –– young ladies having fun and going to a ball. Just awe and wonder at the masterpieces of human construction; skyscrapers and the nightlife and the beautiful sort of mechanical beauty of the neon signs and the cityscape,” Mcleod said.
“I love the piece –– it is fun to dance to because the music has a really great beat and it feels like a happy, hopeful piece,” junior Elizabeth Hamilton, said.
“As a little kid, I loved listening to Gershwin. This is one of my favorite pieces, so it is kind of cool to actually do a dance to it, especially since the music is live. It makes the song feel more alive,” sophomore Katherine Holt said.
The Tower Dancers are excited for the performance, but the preparation is not without struggles. Because the music will be performed by only a piano and a trumpet, it sounds very different from the recording the dancers originally used in practice.
“We got into rehearsal and really struggled. It has definitely been a challenging process,” Marianna Ernst said.
“I love wearing heels, but to dance in them is a whole other story,” sophomore Angela Pearsall said.
Though out of their element, the Tower Dancers still expect a good performance.
“I thought it was a very good give-and-take between Corinne and the musicians. They worked pretty well together in allowing each to have their own way,” Pearsall said.
Imberski and Holly Hobbs also will dance a duet to “The Legend”, and Imerski will be performing an improvisational piece to McCourry’s improvisational jazz piece.
“We have really talented faculty here and it is really exciting to get to show them off. This dance is a celebration of movement, so the audience should just have a good time. Enjoy the music, because it is so classic and performed live. Expect to see something that is really lighthearted,” Holt said.
lreyes@hillsdale.edu