Choreographers From Around The State To Showcase Their Work At Annual Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival
Choreographers from across Texas will present their work at the Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival on Sept. 13 and 14, hosted by the Dance Science program in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.
Visiting choreographers will present their work alongside Dance Science faculty members, and students in the program will perform. The concerts will be at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theater at the Physical Education Activity Program Building. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $7 for students and seniors, available at the MSC Box Office.
Carisa Armstrong, Dance Science program director and associate professor, said the program has been working on the festival for over a year. Armstrong said she is excited to showcase the work of the talented choreographers.
“The works will span to all different dance styles,” she said. “There is an individual voice of each choreographer. Each work movement-wise feels like a different language that you’re creating, and that type of variety I think is one of the best things about this festival.”
Armstrong said students were eager to work with new artists. The festival aims to promote dance throughout the community, she said, while embracing collaborations and opportunities to learn about creating the art form.
“The arts in general are so important to the community and creating the culture of a community,” she said. “Dance is difficult because we oftentimes require specialized spaces, and that can sometimes be hard to come by. We are hoping with these types of festivals and the expansion of how people can access dance in our community, they will understand the importance of being able to go and see some live performances.”
Karen Potter, a visiting artist from Austin, will present “In Ancient Waters,” performed by Richard Oaxaca and Andrea Alvarez. Potter teaches dance at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jamie Williams, a dance professor at San Jacinto College in Houston, will perform her choreographed work “STUFF,” about a character facing her thoughts amid boxes of belongings.
Heather Samuelson, founder of Verve Contemporary Dance Company in Nacogdoches, will present “Cocoon,” which looks at the process of metamorphosis from beginning to end. Samuelson is an associate professor and director of the School of Theatre and Dance at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Rebeca Gamborino, associate professor at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, will present “The Path,” a contemporary duet that will explore power dynamics among women.
“Stirring Circles,” choreographed and performed by Andrew Robert Smith and Hannah Joy Mettler, will be presented as a collaboration about the cause and effect of partnering. Smith is a graduate teaching assistant at Sam Houston State University. Mettler is based in Houston and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance at Sam Houston State University.
The performance duo slowdanger will also perform. The multidisciplinary artists were selected for the college’s inaugural New Work Development Artist Residency and will work with students and faculty this semester.
Several faculty members will present choreographed work including Armstrong and Diane Bedford, section chair of Dance, Music and Theatre Performance and clinical associate professor. They will present “Intertwined,” which explores two people evolving into a deeper human connection. Armstrong will also present her work “Stay Out of Sight.”
Jessica Boone, lecturer, will perform her work “Dense Distractions” as an abstract, modern dance movement that explores sensations, emotional states and tensions between patience and restlessness.
Carolyn Rabbers, instructional assistant professor, will present “Where Our Feet Touch the Earth,” which explores working through healing and trauma to find oneself.
Armstrong said she hopes guests feel comfortable and open to interpreting each dance for themselves. Modern and contemporary dance isn’t about understanding a certain idea or theme, she said, but rather enjoying the experience.
“I hope our audiences take away an appreciation for the art form and potentially have room for conversation about what they took away from it,” she said. “Art is all about what the viewer takes away from it. The artist may have an intention or an idea behind it, but the reality is to really get people to kind of open their mind and think about what it inspires for them.”
Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival: Sept. 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. at the Dance Black Box Theater, Room 207, Physical Education Activity Program Building, 632 Penberthy Blvd. Tickets are $12 general admission; $7 for students and seniors, available at the MSC Box Office.
Image of slowdanger by Robbie Sweeny Photography.
