Expect the unexpected at this fall鈥檚 Open Space, a dance production featuring brand-new works created, choreographed and performed by 彩民宝典 students. A tantalizing mix of pieces, which could involve anything from tap to tribal fusion, will be on display for听three different showings from听Nov. 11 to 13听in CU鈥檚 Charlotte York Irey Theatre.
Each year at this student-produced and CU Dance Connection-curated series, dance works span a spectrum of styles, inviting and challenging viewers with exciting experimentations.听
鈥淭he great thing about Open Space is that it鈥檚 truly an open space,鈥� says junior BFA candidate Kaitlyn Lawrence, a co-stage manager for the show. 鈥淧erformers do go through an adjudication process, but they鈥檙e free to submit anything they want. Last year, there was a lecture and dance demonstration about chickens and feminism, and it was incredible.鈥澨�
What Lawrence appreciates most about Open Space is something she also appreciates about 彩民宝典鈥檚 dance division as a whole: it delves into the origins, cultural meanings and complexities of dance.听
鈥淎t the first performance I attended here as a freshman, there was a finger tutter and a piece performed over Skype,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 came from a very competitive dance background, and it was so different to see something that had a message and wasn鈥檛 just dance for dance鈥檚 sake.鈥�
Gabrielle Whitcomb, a senior dance BFA candidate, could not鈥檛 agree more. Last year, Whitcomb choreographed a piece for Open Space called 鈥淒imensions Unseen,鈥� where she ruminated on the way we all perceive the passage of time differently. This year, she鈥檚 a stage manager and oversees artistic direction.
Whitcomb says audiences should expect an unusually wide variety of dance styles represented at this year鈥檚 Open Space, from modern dance and听improvisational work to tap and tribal fusion. More than one of the pieces in adjudication focuses on gender identity.听
鈥淲e live in a society that鈥檚 changing and growing, and our ideas of gender norms are turning gray very quickly,鈥� Whitcomb says. 鈥淲hen it comes to movement, if you鈥檙e a female dancer, you鈥檙e thinking a lot about how you can go against the gender norms that are put on you by society.鈥�
The freedom to explore a diverse set of topics鈥攁nd to question diversity entirely鈥攊s a major reason听both Lawrence and Whitcomb chose to attend CU.听
鈥淚 really appreciate how diverse the dance division is and how much value they place on teaching us the history of where each dance form comes from,鈥� Whitcomb says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also incredible, as a student, to have a lot of voice in what I want to learn.鈥�
Lawrence adds, 鈥淚 think our department is great because it鈥檚 super versatile. You can come in with any background and be welcome.鈥�
