Women in purple dresses dance around a lone door in the center of the stage. Dancers toss picture frames in a hilarious satire of the 18th century. Students glide and jump across the stage in an expression of movement and art.
The Tower Dancers began rehearsals in October for their ninth annual performance. 18 dancers will perform five different pieces, ranging from seven to 30 minutes. This year marks the Tower Dancers’ largest company since its formation.
“Some years we have a theme. This year, all five works are independent,” said Assistant Professor of Dance Corinne Imberski.
The pieces are all in modern styles, but some are influenced by ballet, junior Dan Thelen said.
“All of the choreographers are influenced by other dance forms,” Imberski said. “You’ll see some ballet movements.”
Each piece is choreographed by a faculty member or student. Imberski herself choreographed two pieces for this performance.
Imberski’s first piece, choreographed to “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, showcased for the first time in February when it accompanied the jazz faculty concert. The dancers will perform it again this weekend.
The dance professor entitled her second piece “Retrace Ecarter.” The word “ecarter” means “tossed open” or “thrown aside” in French, is a ballet form, and is also the word “retrace” written backwards.
“The whole piece is about the pathways of the synapses in your brain,” she said.
Imberski wants to depict the pathways of life, from simply retracing steps in daily life to charting greater pathways. The routine lasts for 30 minutes and is accompanied by a video designed by Instructor of Art Bryan Springer.
“The video features geometry with lines and circles. The shapes represent the pathways of life,” Imberski said.
Dance lecturer Holly Hobbs choreographed a routine she named “Picture This!” The dance comically looks at 18th century portraiture, using period dress and picture frames.
Juniors Marianna Ernst and Dan Thelen each choreographed a piece for the upcoming performance. Thelen said that, in order to showcase a piece, students needed to have gone through at least one section of the choreography class. Then, students must bring part of a routine to Imberski who offers suggestions.
Along with three other dancers, Thelen will perform the eight minute routine he choreographed. He named the dance “Ricollegare,” which is the Italian word for “reconnect.”
“It tells a story about how people interact with others throughout their lives and how those relationships grow or fall apart,” he said.
In Ernst’s seven-minute routine, “Spell It Out,” dancers go back and forth through a prop door that represents a major decision.
“It’s about trying to go through a door and going back and forth until….” she trailed off.
The dancers perform on Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. The event is not ticketed and is therefore first come, first serve.
snelson1@hillsdale.edu
