Performing Arts Management Archives - BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

Behind Camera and Curtain: Students and Faculty Work Behind the Scenes at BYU Dance LIVE

Noelle Barrus — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:41:46 +0000

Arts production and dance departments join forces to produce weekly virtual performances For BYU’s fall 2020 semester — a semester unlike any other due to COVID-19 restrictions — dancers and stage crews have come together to produce weekly virtual dance performances. Each week, a new BYU dance company has the chance to perform. At 5 p.m. MDT every Friday, a livestream-video broadcasts the performance to audiences near and far. “I love that I can be in the theatre again, even if it does look a little bit different now than it did before COVID-19,” said theatre arts studies student Kirsten Busse. “It still is a performance; we’re making art and we’re sharing it with people all around the world.” Busse works as a stagehand backstage at the BYU Dance LIVE streamed performances. Busse helps ensure that everything — from the curtains to the microphones — operates smoothly for the dancers. “It’s cool that this livestream can reach family members that wouldn’t normally be able to make it,” said stage manager Crysta Powell. “We’ve had international students whose families have been able to get online and watch them.” Powell graduated from BYU in theatre art studies in 2015. Once she graduated, Powell worked in New York for a couple of years before returning to BYU to work in the dance department. She’s now been working at BYU for more than two years. “We’ve done a lot of performances, and we’ve all worked in theatre for many years,” said Powell. “But livestreaming is new for all of us. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before. It’s fun to have a new challenge and opportunity.” The livestreamed performances come with a plethora of safety precautions. All dancers, choreographers, production managers and crews must fill out the Healthy Together app questionnaire, wear a mask and have their temperature checked before rehearsals and performances. Benjamin Sanders, the production manager for BYU dance, is the one who originally pitched the idea to start doing livestreamed performances for the different dance ensembles each week. Sanders earned his MFA at BYU in 1996 in theatre design technology. He has worked at BYU for 21 years. “Most of these groups usually do a lot of touring, and we travel around the world with them. So, we thought the livestream would be a way for our hosts out there to see what we’re doing without having live performances,” said Sanders. “BYU Dance Professor Adam Dyer suggested we do it like a television show with a host and interview some of the dancers during the show to see what it’s like to dance during COVID-19. Overall, a lot of teamwork and collaboration went into making BYU Dance LIVE. The best stuff comes out of teamwork.” Each week, the students and staff work together in production meetings to plan out the show, but by the time rehearsals come they have to be able to adapt based on what they see behind the cameras. With a tight schedule and only a few run-throughs before the live show, Sanders is grateful his students have jumped right in and worked through the challenges. “One of my concerns with sending these performances through a camera was that we would lose some of the live-theatre energy,” said Sanders. “But the good thing is that we’re finding a new way to share the arts. Last week we had 700 different streams going out to 14 different countries. These students have performed in different countries before, but never all at the same time.” BYU student Jacob Payne is the video director and video technical director for BYU Dance LIVE. Payne is a junior studying technology and engineering studies with an emphasis in multimedia education. Although Payne is not a theatre major — a similarity among several behind the scenes crew members — he enjoys the work he has done with the dance and theatre departments. “COVID-19 has forced us to learn to do things remotely or from a distance,” said Payne. “There may not be a large audience at these dance performances, and most people are watching from home, but we are still sharing the beauty in the dance and the message that comes with it.” To view the livestream performances, visit dance.byu.edu. Fall 2020 ~ Performing Group Schedule (5 – 5:30 p.m. MDT) September 4: Ballroom Dance Company September 11: International Folk Dance Ensemble September 18: Contemporary Dance Theatre September 25: Living Legends October 2: Theatre Ballet October 9: Young Ambassadors October 16: Ballroom Dance Company October 23: International Folk Dance Ensemble October 30: Contemporary Dance Theatre November 6: Living Legends November 13: Theatre Ballet November 20: Young Ambassadors

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International Folk Dance Ensemble Featured on KUED PBS’s “This Is Utah”

Morgan Reis — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 18:55:33 +0000

KUED PBS gives a behind-the-scenes look at BYU’s International Folk Dance Ensemble, which celebrates cultures throughout the world through dance The BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble is known all over the world for their vibrant costumes and enthusiastic dancing; however, fewer people know the history or inner workings of the group. On May 23, KUED PBS gave viewers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the ensemble and the dedication of all involved. This seven-minute feature video about the ensemble is featured on the “This Is Utah” segment of KUED PBS. “This Is Utah” is meant to highlight and celebrate the diversity that exists in Utah through arts, culture, food and events. As a Utah-based group, the International Folk Dance Ensemble’s desire to share cultures through dance with others is met with enthusiasm for family history work and genealogy. The ensemble hopes their performances will stand as a celebration of heritage. The group spent the summer of 2019 traveling to China, Belgium, France and Poland to share their love of dance and cultures with audience members. Watch the KUED PBS feature on video.kued.org.

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Living Legends in Brazil

admin — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 20:07:27 +0000

With 50 students and more than 135 pieces of luggage, Living Legends arrived in Brazil ready to make a splash. The crowds were captivated by the choreography, stunning costumes, and unique cultural appeal. Audience members thanked the students for presenting the show completely in Portuguese. While in Brazil, the group visited the Associação Fernanda Bianchini, a one-of-a-kind ballet school whose student body comprises more than 300 blind dancers. Following a dance number, the blind students led the members of Living Legends in a group activity where each student was blindfolded and taught the process for learning how to dance while being visually impaired. In Foz do Iguaçu, the local stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with the mayor’s office to collaborate on a goodwill project in conjunction with the BYU performances. They offered one show ticket in exchange for a donation of a kilogram of nonperishable food, which would be given to local families in need. This food-ticket exchange took place at nine locations throughout the city. Additionally, the group was able to present and discuss the importance of higher education with more than 30 members of Brazil’s Congress and other important opinion leaders from the area. After meeting with the large congressional group, Living Legends members divided into smaller groups with local leaders to discuss how BYU fulfills the goal to be “spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging, and character building, leading to lifelong learning and service” — the aims of a BYU education. Read the complete stories: “Making Waves in São Paulo,” “Making History and Giving Charity” and “Leading and Loving in the Amazon.”

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BYU’s Living Legends Blends Cultures in China

admin — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 20:01:14 +0000

Living Legends, BYU’s Native American dance group, had the opportunity to share traditional Native American dances in China, where audiences included people who had no idea that Native Americans still existed. “Having this opportunity to share my culture with the people of China is something special just because in a lot of countries they don’t know that natives still exist,” said Adam Conte, one of the Living Legends performers. Besides being able to share his own culture, Conte also became immersed in the Chinese culture while on tour. Conte said blending the two cultures helped melt differences. “Being able to share that with people around the world, I think that unifies us more because I think you can always draw similarities between cultures,” said Conte. Read the full story at universe.byu.edu.

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BYU Ballroom Dancer Finds Similar Values In China

admin — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 19:51:23 +0000

Professional ballroom dancer Allie Spinder recently traveled to China to perform in the BYU Spectacular, a performing group tour. Spinder, a BYU graduate, said she felt honored to represent the university again. Spinder feels that the BYU Spectacular was an important step for BYU in finding common ground with China. “What’s amazing about this show is it’s showing how alike we are,” Spinder said. “I think right now the Chinese people sense a difference and maybe even a divide between our two countries, but yet this show is bringing this great merge.” Despite the cultural differences between the U.S. and China, BYU Spectacular performers said they found common ground through dance and music while on the tour. Read the full story at universe.byu.edu.

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BYU’s China Spectacular Tour Celebrates 40 Years of Friendship

admin — Wed, 08 May 2019 19:36:23 +0000

Forty years ago, a group of Brigham Young University student performers traveled to China and put on a show that made history. This summer, the University is celebrating that anniversary with a return tour that highlights the relationship BYU and China have shared since 1979. Following the aftermath of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, BYU’s initial tour made the Young Ambassadors and Living Legends among the first Western performing arts groups to enter the country. The tour was the idea of then-BYU President Dallin H. Oaks, who had met with President Spencer W. Kimball of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1978. President Kimball spoke highly of China’s high standards and family values and upon returning from the meeting, President Oaks asked BYU officials to begin making plans for a performing arts group to go to China, despite no established U.S.-Chinese diplomatic relations at that time. But the diplomatic relations did happen in early 1979 and the show fell into place. Newly-launched China Central Television asked to broadcast BYU’s live performance and, even after the group had left the country, the channel continued to rebroadcast the performance. In the past 39 years, BYU performing groups have returned to China 28 more times. Read the full story at news.byu.edu.

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BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble Celebrates Ukrainian Culture in New Video

Mason Graham — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 19:13:36 +0000

Brigham Young University’s highly acclaimed Folk Dance ensemble is gearing up for another holiday showing of Christmas Around the World, set for Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at the Marriott Center in Provo. The event isn’t your only chance to see the group perform, however, thanks to a new video of the Hopak released to the Ensemble’s YouTube channel Nov. 17. According to the video’s description, it features “the National dance of Ukraine, Hopak, performed in Utah by the Brigham Young University International Folk Dance Ensemble. Read more here.

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BYU Vocal Point Finds Success with “The Greatest Showman” Mashup

Sydnee Gonzalez — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 10:00:40 +0000

Last weekend, BYU Vocal Point’s newest music video “The Greatest Showman A Cappella Mashup,” received over 1 million views on the group’s YouTube channel. The video brought together aerial artists, dancers, singers and cinematographers to feature four songs from the movie—“The Greatest Show,” “Come Alive,” “Rewrite the Stars” and “This Is Me.” The video’s views are not the only indicator of success. It received positive feedback across the board, including from one of the film’s main stars, Hugh Jackman, who called the video an “amazing effort” on Twitter. However, the video’s greatest success may actually lie in the behind-the-scenes work that went into creating the video. McKay Crockett, BYU Vocal Point’s artistic director and music producer, said viewers have no idea just how much work and sacrifice went into creating the video from simply watching the final product. From overcoming illness to creating a circus tent to film in, nothing about the making of the video was easy. Step one was creating a collaborative environment for students from various disciplines and areas, including The School of Music, The Department of Theatre and Media Arts, Performing Arts Management, Contemporary Dance Theatre and the BYU Cougarettes. Students not only worked with each other, but also had the opportunity to work with professionals, including filmmakers, BYU Broadcasting staff and circus performers from Aeris Aerial Arts. The next step was filming the video. The four-and-a-half minute video was shot within 12 hours during a single day. The cast and crew were faced with the task of filming three perfect, continuous takes — the longest being over two minutes long—and then editing these together in post-production. Jeff Parkin, director of the video and BYU film professor, said filming under those circumstances “was a high-wire act with a lot of intensity and stress, but created a special energy on screen. The ability to pull off such shots successfully says a great deal about the professional abilities of our BYU students.” According to Crockett, Vocal Point member Jason Bromley (BA ‘20) had one of the most difficult parts in the video. Bromley trained for weeks with former Cirque Du Soleil performer Darla Davis to learn aerial choreography for “Rewrite the Stars.” Bromley stated, “This was by far the most difficult part of the video because it was unlike anything I’ve ever done. It took weeks for my body to acclimate to that kind of strain and I endured some pretty gnarly rope burns. However, it was an amazing experience and one I doubt many other college students get the opportunity to enjoy.” In addition to learning aerial choreography, Bromley had to sing at double the normal tempo while filming “Rewrite the Stars.” This allowed the post-production team to slow down the aerial work later during editing while still matching Bromley’s lips to the normal tempo of the song. Bromley stated perhaps the most amazing part about this minute-long scene is that it was filmed in one continuous take. Difficult filming circumstances were not the only barrier students had to overcome. Vocal Point member Logan Shelton (BA ‘19) was one of many cast members to get sick leading up to filming. “I wasn’t sure if I had the energy to embody the message of the video,” Shelton said. “The whole project ended up being a miracle. Everything just fell right into place. I hope people feel empowered to be their best selves from watching our adaptation.” Crockett said despite various complications, the crew and cast were able to come together to create an unforgettable experiential learning project. “It was really meaningful to see all the energy on set and all the sacrifice that went into making the video,” Crockett said. “The final video is a real testament to how great BYU is.” This BYU Records production and its success was made possible with the help of various faculty and staff across campus, including Ben Fales (executive producer), Jared Cardon (producer), Jodi Maxfield (BYU Cougarettes director) and Jenny Tingey (choreographer).

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Discover More About Choreographic and Regalia Origins Through the Living Legends New Video Series

Leslie Owusu — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 20:53:02 +0000

The video series provides information about the history behind Latin American, Polynesian and Native American dance The choreography and regalia featured in BYU Living Legends productions are derived from revered histories and origins. In an effort to share these legends, the company has initiated a new video series explaining the dances and regalia. “We not only want to further explain the legends or origin stories of the dances,” said Shanoah Zendejas, the Living Legends’ social media manager and assistant to their tour coordinator, “but also want to explain the significance of what the dancers wear. Living Legends has had the unique opportunity to help educate people from various backgrounds about the cultures they represent. We wanted to share that same opportunity with our online audience, whether they have the opportunity to see the show live or not.” The idea for this explanation video series was conceived a few years ago during the company’s tour to Tonga, New Zealand and Samoa. A member of the group suggested they do a series explaining the dances, especially those that were not Polynesian, in order to connect their audience members who were less familiar with Latin American and Native American dance. Zendejas explained that the “Seasons” production has brief explanations for each dance during the performances, but there are deeper histories and stories connected to the choreography and regalia. The introduction of a video series has made them able to turn this desire into a reality. They produced their first video of the series, featuring the Native American Grass regalia and dance, this past November. “We were wrapping up Native American Heritage Month and had the opportunity to do a fun video for the Rock Your Mocs Movement, and that’s when we started filming for the series,” said Zendejas. The grass dance is featured in the “Season of Rebirth” section of “Seasons”. The story of the Native American Grass Dance is a story of healing. Because the New Year was just weeks away, and with the story in mind, the company members could not think of a better dance to start the series off with. “We also wanted to make sure that we explained the meaning of the regalia, or what the dancers wear. Everything has a purpose in Native American culture. That is why people wearing feathers and headdresses as costumes is such a big deal to Native Americans. Every part of the regalia and the way they dance has meaning to it. We wanted to honor and show respect to the Native American culture and dance.” Zendejas emphasized that a big purpose for this video series is to encourage young audience members to learn more about and understand their own culture. She shared that many members of Living Legends, and many youth, grow up not knowing much about their culture and the ensemble has provided a way for them to learn about their own culture and others as well. The company wants to encourage anyone and everyone to learn more about their culture and where they come from. “We want to explain more dances this year, and in years to come, to our audience,” said Zendejas. “Audiences can look forward to learning more about all of the cultures we represent and their people’s history as well as more about the meaning of our numbers and why they belong in certain ‘seasons.’ In the next few weeks, we will be releasing a video explaining the Maori Haka that is performed in our show.” To follow the video series, follow BYU Living Legends on Facebook.

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Noteworthy Releases ‘Feeling Good’ Music Video on Valentine’s Day

Sydnee Gonzalez — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 10:00:18 +0000

BYU’s all-female a capella group Noteworthy is set to release their newest music video on Feb. 14 on the group’s YouTube channel. The video will feature a cover of Michael Bublé’s song “Feeling Good.” Noteworthy director Keith Evans said, “the music video’s release on Valentine’s is a perfect fit.” The lyrics of the song focus on enjoying the little things and choosing to start afresh with a positive outlook on life. Evans said, “Not only are the lyrics of the song empowering, but also the story behind the creation of the video is as well. Our adaptation of ‘Feeling Good’ is meant to embrace strong, powerful femininity. To do this, Noteworthy members took the lead on this project from concept to direction, capturing the group’s unique grace and confidence.” Evans hopes that if anyone is feeling down this Valentine’s Day, Noteworthy’s new music video will be an instant way to “feel good.”

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