The UNCG School of Dance will showcase original choreographic work by eight senior Choreography and Performance students in the Spring 2021 BFA Dance Thesis Concert “the human condition,” which premiers via YouTube on April 24, 2021 at 8 p.m.
Here are the choreographers and artistic statements for their works:
Chania Wilson (Raleigh, NC): The Second Hand is a dance film about how people conceptualize grief as they age. This film is a space to feel, reflect, question and ultimately feel safe while doing so.
Mackenzie Barnes (Connecticut): Eclectic is a piece that explores the possibilities that are unlocked once you realize that you are not born with a confining “self.” With this idea that we are all building ourselves, having no predetermined “core” of what we are supposed to be, we are allowed to become the sum of a large collection of parts.
Taylor Taylor (Greensboro, NC): “I Know You, I See You, I Hear You” explores the formation of a community from the first time you meet someone to later supporting them in their darkest moments. Like community, this piece highlights the strength of a group but also shows the uniqueness of each individual.
Shainyce Jones (Charlotte, NC): Self Sovereignty focuses on the beauty of overcoming obstacles in life through a process of release, relief, and peace. This process grows on a theme of offering comfort and transferring positive energy within a community as a way to breakthrough one’s tribulations and find inner peace.
Sarah Wickham (Asheville, NC): Self unfinished is an exploration of becoming oneself. In collaboration with the cast and a musician there is an intimacy to the work that represents the universal experience of trying to find oneself that never truly ends. The dancer’s body is a paintbrush that brings color, emotions, lines, and shapes to the dancer’s canvas, the stage.
Kaitlyn Whitaker (Mooresville, NC): Continuum of Hue was developed in collaboration with the choreographer and the dancers as an exploration of mixing visual art and dance.
Jo’Nekiya Elliott (Fayetteville, NC): Mind Destination asks the questions: Are there voices in your head telling you that you’re not good enough? Are these voices of others or just simply yours? Self-doubt can take over the whole body mentally and physically. This journey to finding confidence will have ups and downs but what is your break-through moment?
Daira “Toni” Clarke (Charlotte, NC): Roses and Thorns is an exploration of the act of living. As a society, we endure many thorns; however, attached to every thorn is a small rose. When life’s thorns begin to weigh down on us and it feels like we are drowning, we must hold onto the roses to keep us afloat. It is easy to exist, living is the hard part.
Tickets are on sale now at go.uncg.edu/dancetix. Links to the show will be provided at the time of purchase.
Story by Terri W. Relos
Photo credit: Amy Masters