Ohio Wesleyan dance students will present three performances of Orchesis 24/25 on Nov. 15-16. Tickets are free, but reservations are requested.
Courtesy photo | Paul Vernon
Ohio Wesleyan University’s Orchesis Dance Company will present its annual concert, Orchesis 24/25, with pieces by nine student-choreographers, director Janet Schroeder, and guest choreographer Katherine Moore.
The show will open at 8 p.m. Nov. 15 on the Main Stage of Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware, and continue with performances at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 16. Admission is free, but reservations are requested at www.owu.edu/orchesis.
A percussive dance artist, scholar, and teacher, Schroeder, Ph.D., said she anticipates drama and tension on stage as many pieces reference the personal experiences of the performers and choreographers. The audience can expect this year’s dances to be “a little bit less narrative and a little bit more internal,” she said.
Guest choreographer Moore, a movement and teaching artist whose work spans theaters, outdoor environments, galleries, and community spaces, will utilize her unique movement vocabulary to create a captivating piece titled “Torrent.”
“In ‘Torrent,’ five performers navigate an evolving slew of tasks that push them across the space with steady yet relentless urgency,” said Moore, MFA. “By exploring shifting degrees of impact both real (other bodies) and imaginary (the space), the performers’ movements explore the principles and limits of resilience.”
OWU undergraduate choreographers and their Orchesis 24/25 pieces are:
• Juniors Sharvi Arora of Jammu, India, and Aninditha Nair of Dombivli, India, present their duet “Sangam,” a captivating Bollywood hip-hop fusion, celebrating the strength and joy of female friendships through dance and rhythm.
• Senior Brielle Decarolis of Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, presents “•—• —- •-•• •- •-• •• —•• • -•• (Polarized),” in which two performers explore the push and pull that accompanies every relationship. If hearts are magnets, every beat can shift whether they pull together or push apart, and yet people can remain connected.
• Senior Grace Frye of Newark, Ohio, presents her solo piece, “The Same but Different,” in which she explores vulnerability through a blend of familiarity and change, and celebrates the beauty of transformation.
• Sophomore Iliana Horley of North Ridgeville, Ohio, presents “The Fight Within,” which physically embodies how it feels to constantly be struggling within your own mind.
• Sophomore Abigail Kallay of Painesville, Ohio, presents “Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Goodnight,” inspired by the themes of control and surveillance present in the movie “The Truman Show.” The sharp, pedestrian-style movements fade into expressive curves as the dancers explore contact and the ever-watching audience.
• Senior Hannah Moore of West Chester, Ohio, presents “Kronia” as an unnerving, grotesque, and slightly uncomfortable story of struggle, determination, and power. The dancers move through different aspects of the mythological war against the Titans reflecting struggles seen in the world today.
• Sophomore Allison Reich of Wadsworth, Ohio, presents “Uncover,” in which the dancers quietly explore the rigid limits of movement and group uniformity while discovering the blissful freedom of individuality. By leading with curiosity, the dancers slowly uncover who they are as individuals and how their minor differences uniquely define the group.
• Senior Maja Todorovic of Chicago, Illinois, presents “Marrow Beginnings; Nerve Endings,” which embodies disability and how bodies interact with the world. There is pain, yet there is still community – the ensemble just has to find it with each other.
Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s Department of Performing Arts and all upcoming performances at www.owu.edu/PerformingArts.
Submitted by Ohio Wesleyan University.
