Theater, film, music key to year’s first dance concert at Bates

The title may say “dance,” but theater, film and music are also key to performances of the “Back to Bates” Weekend Dance Concert at noon Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3–4, in Bates College’s Schaeffer Theatre, 329 College St.

Representing work by local community members as well as Bates faculty, students and artists in residence, the performances are open to the public at no cost. For more information, please call 207-786-6161.

Students in a 200-level repertory and performance class taught by Carol Dilley, professor of dance and chair of the theater and dance department, will perform two works: A modern partners piece by Dilley and a jazz dance by guest artist Cathy Young, director of the Dance Division at the Boston Conservatory.

Rachel Boggia, assistant professor of dance at Bates, has collaborated with first-year students to make a modern work set to live a cappella music sung by first-years.

“This year both of the Bates faculty choreographers are making dance pieces with student musicians as well as student dancers,” says Dilley.

Ben Cuba, a senior from Worcester, Mass., “has been studying the composition of music for dance for a few semesters now and is creating the score for my piece,” she says. “Rachel is taking advantage of the wonderful crossover between dance and the lively a cappella community here at Bates.”

Dilley adds, “We’re also both using a choreographic approach in which the dancers share the creative process of generating movement material for the piece. It’s a real pleasure to get to work with such talented and dedicated student artists.”

Also on the program are works by student choreographers. Jorge Piccole, a sophomore from Middleton, Mass., and Bryana Newton, a senior from Granby, Conn., will present a hip hop duet.

A senior dance major, Mary Anne Bodnar of New York City, will present the first phases of her dance thesis research in a solo and in a duet with Kelsey Schober of Palmer, Ark.

A junior from Yarmouth, Maine, Laura Pietropaoli, will screen a film that she made this summer at the Bates Dance Festival featuring Alexandra Freed, a senior from Magnolia, Mass. A sophomore from Sherrill, N.Y., Emma Zulch will perform a solo.

Finally, students in the cast of the forthcoming Bates theater production of Marie and The Nutcracker will perform a scene from the play. The Nov. 5–9 production will be the world premiere of a dramatic adaptation by Martin Andrucki, Charles A. Dana Professor of Theater at Bates, of the classic story by E.T.A. Hoffman.

The public dance performances take place under the aegis of “Back to Bates Weekend,” an all-college event combining the traditional Parents & Family and Homecoming weekends.

Dance at Bates returns Dec. 5–7 with the Fall Dance Concert, featuring professional works set on the repertory and performance class students, Bodnar’s full thesis and a new collaboration between Boggia and Wesleyan University Artist-in-Residence Iddrisu Saaka.