Each year, CU-Boulder dance students and faculty come together for 鈥淭he Current,鈥� an annual showcase of brand-new pieces. This year鈥檚 performances take place April 15-17 and feature evocative, original work by dance professors Erika Randall and Donna Mejia, lecturer Larry Southall, alumna Megan Odom and Roser Guest Artist Faye Driscoll.
鈥淓very year at this show, I fall in love with our department all over again,鈥� said Mejia, an assistant professor in dance. 鈥淚鈥檓 in awe of the artists here, and I鈥檓 unbelievably honored to be part of this crew. The work of my colleagues brings me to tears.鈥�
Mejia, a self-described transnational fusion artist, has choreographed two works on the program: a longing solo exploring the theme of human intimacy, which draws on moves from Northern Africa and hip hop communities, and an ensemble work called 鈥淭he Amplified Field,鈥� an uptempo, highly athletic exploration of what it鈥檚 like to negotiate overlapping identities in the digital age.
鈥淚鈥檝e got blue eyes, African features and dreadlocks,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y multi-ethnic physical appearance is definitely provoking and disruptive in social situations, and people frequently approach me asking 鈥榃hat are you?鈥� But in truth we all manage overlapping identities, to some extent. Maybe we鈥檙e mothers and also professionals. I happen to broadcast my overlapping identities in a very obvious way, but I observe everyone to be negotiating these cultural collisions within themselves.鈥�
Randall, the dance division鈥檚 director, also choreographed two pieces in 鈥淭he Current:鈥� a driving, bombastic seven-person work inspired by composer David Lang鈥檚 piece 鈥渃heating, lying, stealing,鈥� and an ensemble piece called 鈥淭here I Still Hear,鈥� created in memory of a close friend.
鈥淭he whole piece is about what鈥檚 carried inside someone鈥檚 last breath,鈥� said Randall. 鈥淚t weaves together memory and nostalgia, and the dancers are meant to represent children who died from scarlet fever in the Victorian era.鈥�
She will also perform a solo piece created by alumna Megan Odom after she read a draft of Randall鈥檚 novel, 鈥淭he Secrets of the Dashboard Hula Dancer.鈥� In the novel鈥檚 last chapter, a plastic hula dancer comes to life and finds out what happens when, instead of looking out the rear window, she turns around and glimpses the future.
This year鈥檚 Roser Guest Artist Faye Driscoll says she looks forward to visiting Boulder for the first time and collaborating with dance students on a whole new piece.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fantastic opportunity for the students to use creative agency and work together to make something,鈥� said Driscoll. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what most of my pieces are about, too 鈥� the very fact that we鈥檙e interdependent and interconnected. Being able to connect with each other in person and in real time 鈥� that just doesn鈥檛 happen much these days.鈥�
鈥淭he Current鈥� showcases more than just physical talent. During the performance, audiences can feast their eyes on beautiful Victorian silhouettes created by CU-Boulder costume designer Markas Henry, music arranged by Daniel Beahm and light design by Jim Doyle, a CU-Boulder alumnus who lit up the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas, the Lincoln Center fountain in New York and Michael Jackson鈥檚 鈥淭hriller鈥� music video.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the .
