Elon University Dance Company presented its first performance of the year, Dance in the Landscape, Sunday Sept. 21 on the lawn of the Center for the Arts in Pardue Court. Every year, this performance is held during Family Weekend to showcase the first-years and several upperclassmen students.
This annual tradition began when the dance faculty agreed that performing outside the theater on Elon’s campus would be a great utilization of the natural settings. The location varies each year. In years past dancers have performed on the grass in the Academic Village and in front of Koury Business Center.
The choreography is not developed until the first-year class has arrived. As a result, the choreography varies depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the class of 2018.
“I have an idea, and then when I meet them the first day in rehearsal, I try to play around with the idea and see how that can work with them,” said Jason Aryeh, assistant professor of dance. “I love seeing the development of the freshmen in a very short period of time.”
Given the accelerated preparation time, Aryeh pushes the first-year dancers to demonstrate what they are capable of achieving. He encourages them to take risks in rehearsals and to bond as a group to develop teamwork in the classroom and on stage.
Aryeh’s modern choreography required the dancers to execute precise technique. Performing outside capitalized on the students’ athletic abilities as they jumped, collapsed to the ground and created elongated lines in their movements. They took advantage of multiple levels of the performance space.
First-year dance major Abby Corrigan said the experience united the first-years.
“We all come from different places around the country and focus on different styles,” she said. “By diving in and putting together a piece in our first few weeks here, we really got to know each other, both as people and as dancers.”
The outdoor setting is a challenging aspect of the show. Weather conditions can affect the performance. Also, a dancer’s movement quality needs to match the space.
“It’s like dancing but times 10 compared to what you would do in a theater,” Sandler said. “You really want to utilize the space you’re given.”
Corrigan said she hoped the audience could perceive the joy generated from the dancers. All of the dancers incorporated their own steps into Aryeh’s choreography, making the performance a collaborative effort.
Senior and Assistant Artistic Director of the show Heather Sandler choreographed a piece for the upperclassmen to kick off the performance. Though she has participated in Dance in the Landscape every year things were a bit different this year.
“I really tried to challenge myself and do something new with choreography that I’ve never done before,” Sandler said.
Her modern, contemporary piece was “sultry-inspired,” derived from the tango. The piece included many jumps and Latin-American character movements, such as placing flexed hands above the head.
Sandler added she saw genuine transformation from the first-years as she watched them grow as dancers this semester.
“It’s hard when you’re a freshman and going away for the first time,” Sandler said. “I think it’s good for them and really gets them out of their comfort zone.”