Contemporary Dance Archives - BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications Tue, 19 May 2020 18:19:03 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 ‘To See and Be Seen’: CDT Dancers Explore Isolation, Connection in New Video ‘Vanish’ https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/department-of-dance/to-see-and-be-seen-cdt-dancers-explore-isolation-connection-in-new-video-vanish/ Tue, 19 May 2020 18:19:03 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=51920 The video continues a collaboration with NYC-based choreographer Jesse Obremski and pays tribute to graduating seniors As the socially-distanced BYU community prepared to celebrate graduation in new and unexpected ways, Contemporary Dance Theatre premiered “Vanish,” a 10-minute video featuring the work of New York City-based choreographer Jesse Obremski. Keely Song Glenn, director of CDT and producer of “Vanish,” described the video as “a tribute to the vitality of human connection and a hope for the day when we can one day physically connect to each other again.” In addition to filming the video, CDT performed the piece in their annual concert this February. “Vanish” is set to music by commercial music alum Jarom Hansen and was filmed and edited by media arts alum Scott Cook. For many students in the company, working with Obremski was a highlight of their year. “I’ve never worked with someone who puts so much heart into their work and also creates a space of individual self-discovery for their dancers,” said Vanessa Redden, a graduating senior on CDT. “Throughout the entire process of working with him, Jesse would often remind us that ‘it’s all about the humanity,’” recalled Bronte Hopkins, a dance education graduate. “He is a talented choreographer and such a generous human being. It felt like a journey.” Watch the video below and read more about “Vanish” at dance.byu.edu.

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]]> BYU Magazine: BYU, Still https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/college/byu-magazine-byu-still/ Tue, 12 May 2020 22:31:54 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=51861 How campus went quiet, yet BYU continued on, during the coronavirus pandemic Day by day—and sometimes hour by hour—elements of the BYU experience were suddenly shifting, disrupting everything from budding relationships to Sunday meetings to major university events, including BYU Women’s Conference and April graduation ceremonies—both canceled. All NCAA competition was suspended. Meanwhile professors and campus IT personnel scrambled to take BYU entirely online by Wednesday, March 18. Many faculty turned to the video program Zoom to stream or record instruction, innovating new ways to teach hands-on subjects like dance, music, and nursing or to simulate lab research remotely. Read the full article by Michael R. Walker at magazine.byu.edu.

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]]> Dance Student Daylin Williams on Injury, Recovery and What Moves Her https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/students/dance-student-daylin-williams-on-injury-recovery-and-what-moves-her/ Mon, 27 Apr 2020 22:10:46 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=51733 Dance education major Daylin Williams shares how her experience with serious injury has made her stronger College has been a busy time for Daylin Williams. A dance education major entering her senior year, Williams has performed and choreographed with BYU’s dancEnsemble several times and has served as both vice president and president for the company. Last summer, Williams spent six weeks touring Europe with a contemporary dance study abroad, and has participated in several local and national dance festivals. Vibrant and outspoken, Williams is a leader in the Department of Dance, and it is difficult to imagine that anything could stand in her way. During her time at BYU, however, Williams has undergone three major knee surgeries and grueling recoveries, a setback that could have ended her career. But instead of letting that keep her from dancing, Williams decided to push forward and use her experiences to help other injured dancers on the road to recovery. “The hardest part was going into class every day,” she said. “I would just sit there watching all of my peers work so hard, improve, perform and do all the things that I wanted so badly to do, but was not physically able to.” Read the full story at dance.byu.edu

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]]> Share Your Story: #CFACGrad Eliza Robinson https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/students/share-your-story-cfacgrad-eliza-robinson/ Wed, 22 Apr 2020 23:11:55 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=51633 Graduating dance student Eliza Robinson reflects on an experience she had during her time at BYU The photo included here was taken in a castle we toured while on the Contemporary Dance Study Abroad in Europe. I feel as though this photo — in a symbolic way — describes the experience I had at BYU. I came here not knowing who I was. Spiritually, emotionally and sometimes mentally, I was in the dark room, far from the windows. I let the powers of self-doubt and uncertainty keep me away from the light. When I finally decided to open my eyes and see the light coming in from the window, I knew I needed to have the courage to approach it. Inspired, loving professors and students encouraged me and helped me stumble through the darkness towards the light. As I undid the latches of the window, my future path, my dreams and the person I had become were illuminated as I let the light pour over me. Oh, how good the sunshine feels on my face as I end my journey at BYU! It is a hard school. It was a difficult time. But I will thank my BYU professors and friends for the rest of my life for helping me to become the person I am today. The publication of student articles allows the College of Fine Arts and Communications to highlight the experiential learning opportunities and behind-the-scenes experiences of students and faculty and tell stories with a unique voice and point of view. Submit your story at cfac.byu.edu.

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]]> BFA Graduate Caitlin Shill Shares How Dance Has Stretched Her Soul https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/college/bfa-graduate-caitlin-shill-shares-how-dance-has-stretched-her-soul/ Fri, 17 Apr 2020 04:11:27 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=51409 Shill — a native of Cottonwood Heights, Utah —  will graduate with a BFA in dance on April 24, 2020 Caitlin Shill didn’t always plan to be a dance major. She auditioned for the program as an incoming freshman, fully intending to switch majors as soon as she found what she actually wanted to study. But the longer Shill spent in the Department of Dance, the more apparent it became that she was meant to be there. “I felt a profound sense of belonging, and I became acutely aware of an expansive gap of knowledge that I hungered to close,” said Shill. “I was drawn to the knowledge that came from the expression of such a personal art form, dressed with intellect in a way I had never encountered before. It was active, hungry, hardworking and human-centered.” While deeply rewarding, Shill’s study of dance would be far from easy. It would require physical, mental and spiritual stretching beyond what she originally imagined. “I had an impression of the humility, sacrifice and intellect it would demand, but I had no idea how much,” she said. “If dance were a god it would be a sacrificial one.” In her junior year, Shill experienced a serious injury to her right knee, a setback that would eventually lead to surgery and a grueling recovery. “It would be nine months until I danced again, and many more until I felt like I could dance again,” she said of the experience. “There is a bittersweet difference between the two.” As difficult as it was, Shill is grateful for the lessons her injury taught her about resilience and compassion. “College is often a lesson in justice as the reality of the world starts to sink in,” said Shill. “However, I’ve been instructed more on the rightness of mercy than on justice through the constant support of the Department of Dance and its faculty. If recovering was an accomplishment, it is not mine. It belongs to my families, both in Cottonwood Heights and in the Department of Dance.” During her time at BYU, Shill performed as a member of both dancEnsemble and Contemporary Dance Theatre, and her work in the department took her across the nation — and the world — several times. Through her dance experience, Shill has found that she has gained profound insight into the human condition. “Being with your body for seven to eight hours a day, listening to it, strengthening it and sharing it creatively with peers and strangers alike is an instruction in every virtue and godly attribute,” she continued. “Our bodies aren’t just objects, they are souls: integrated, whole and full of contradictions. It is through being a dance major that I have become acquainted with myself and humanity.” Some of her most memorable lessons came from her time conducting ethnographic research on a dance study abroad to Beijing. “Researching and observing children of God in an unfamiliar culture was a profound experience, especially in such a personal art form,” said Shill. “I saw dimensions of the human soul and experience that stretched my intellect and expression of identity in ways no other experience has.” Shill invites students to use their time at BYU as an opportunity not only to receive, but also to give of themselves. “I’ve found during my time as an undergraduate that the more you give from your cup, the more your cup will run over,” she said. “It sounds counterintuitive and too good to be true. However, time and time again I have had moments of undeserved or disproportionate joy and opportunity because I opened my heart and gave from an almost empty cup — just to find it running over.” Shill warns that life is hard, and it can be tempting to focus inward rather than outward when things get tough. But that, she argues, is precisely the time when we most need to give. “It is wonderful to give the best parts of yourself,” Shill said. “Your hope, your positivity, your creative spirit. But the greatest gifts — and the ones that cause an empty cup to overflow — are when we give away the worst of us. We give away our arrogance by letting another’s performance inspire us. We give away our greed by offering what we need most to another. We give away our insecurity by helping someone else see how they are succeeding. It is in the cultivation of this simple habit of giving away the best — and occasionally the worst — parts of myself that I can reflect on a full life and education at BYU.” Shill plans to pursue a master’s or doctorate degree in the future, with the goal of teaching at a university.   Q&A WITH CAITLIN SCHILL, BFA ‘20 DANCE | CONTEMPORARY  What did you want to be when you grew up? “Ironically, I never wanted to be a ballerina. Oxford was my Disneyland. I venerated higher education and the glistening world of academia. I took a personality test in the seventh grade that said I should be an astrophysicist, and I spent middle school and high school excelling at math just for that reason. My dad still loves to remind me that I could get a double major in math.” What was your favorite class that you took at BYU? “Healthy Sexuality, hands down. As a dance major, I was able to dispel so many cultural inhibitions and over-sexualized projections society had made on my body. The Healthy Sexuality in Marriage class helped me name and give form to the things that I felt so pressured by as a young woman in our society, while also schooling me in what healthy sexuality looks like.” Is there a specific work or practitioner in your field that has had a particularly strong influence on you? “Pina Bausch! She created doors in contemporary where rock walls stood, and they are ones that I easily walk through. She was an engineer in movement theatre and has one of the most creative and aesthetic minds I’ve ever seen. I admire her work greatly and know that I could spend a lifetime creating dance, and she would still surpass my lifetime of good ideas in the first 20 minutes of any of her works.” What is a hidden talent you have or a hobby outside [...]

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]]> Dance Professor Highlights Relationship Between Physical Movement and Nature in Film https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/department-of-dance/dance-professor-highlights-relationship-between-physical-movement-and-nature-in-film/ Mon, 19 Aug 2019 21:00:03 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=48382 BYU dance professor Rachel Barker and three dance students worked together to create a site-specific dance based on three locations in Moab, Utah Department of Dance professor Rachel Barker and dance students McCall McClellan, Jared McClure and Abby Roush traveled to Moab in southern Utah to create a video that investigates the role between human movement in dance and the nature that surrounds them while dancing.  Barker and her students filmed site-specific dance choreography, which is a type of choreography that responds to the environment that surrounds the dancer outside of the traditional concert stage. They found inspiration at three separate filming locations in Moab. Each place was chosen for its unique perspective and feel. The section of film shot in Moonflower Canyon placed dancers against the backdrop of high canyon walls. Dancing in Pucker Pass gave a bird’s-eye view of dancers on top of high ledges with steep drop offs. Onion Creek allowed dancers to use the flowing creek as a stage for dancing. “The location of the film was such an important part of it,” said Barker. “We wanted to feature the dancing and the environment equally. We wanted to play with perspective — exploring close-ups of the human body juxtaposed with aerial views that showcase the grandiose natural landscape — and also touch on the similarities between physical movement and nature.” The students began choreographing the film long before they had even stepped foot in Moab. Months prior to the shooting, Barker began asking them to make phrases, or short sections of choreography, based on various elements of nature like water, dirt and rocks.  Read the full story at dance.byu.edu.

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]]> CFAC Students Spend Summer Term Working and Serving Around the World https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/college/cfac-students-spend-summer-term-working-and-serving-around-the-world/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 21:10:16 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=48133 Students from the College of Fine Arts and Communications travel internationally to gain real-world experience and share their talents while studying abroad, competing, performing and interning Each year, students in the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications take the knowledge and skills they have learned in the classroom and make their mark on their local and global communities. From New York to Europe, these students are having inspiring learning opportunities all over the globe. Read more about how students from the College of Fine Arts and Communications answered President Kevin J. Worthen’s call for inspired learning during June: Contemporary Dance in Europe Study Abroad (Courtesy of Kiersten Robertson, @byu.dance.abroad and McCall McClellan) BYU dance students traveled to Europe on the Contemporary Dance in Europe study abroad to attend several large dance festivals, take masterclasses and learn more about the history of contemporary dance, which originated in Europe.  Additionally, the Contemporary Dance Theatre (CDT) company will compete for the Grand Prix title in Prague. CDT previously won the Grand Prix title in 2015. They will be showcasing choreography from guests, faculty and students for the European judges and other festival participants from over 14 countries. In addition to increasing their technical and historical understanding of the genre of dance, students toured cities, visited museums and experienced much of what European culture has to offer.    China Spectacular Digital Media Team (Courtesy of Adam Durfee and Megan Adamson) Behind the group of dedicated performers in the China Spectacular were four communications students and two communications professors, Adam Durfee and Steve Fidel. This digital media team shot video footage, captured photos of the action and helped run the social media campaign of the 40th anniversary tour — BYU’s biggest tour to date. “My favorite part about covering the BYU Spectacular was seeing how much effort performers put in. There were seven performances and they gave their all to each of their audiences,” said Rachel Keeler, a member of the China Spectacular digital media team. “You could see how much the Chinese people loved the performers for it. It was truly an incredible experience!” Keeler felt that the hands-on experience she had in China pushed her to use all the skills she had previously learned in the communications program, but also helped her develop abilities that could never come from sitting at a desk.  “It’s something that can’t be learned within the walls of a classroom — only through going out and doing it with the help of a mentor,” said Keeler. “That is why internships are required in this major and study abroads are encouraged — they push you to reach limits you couldn’t have reached through standardized learning.”   International Advertising and Awards Study Abroad (Courtesy of Jeff Sheets) School of Communications professor Jeff Sheets and 26 advertising students traveled to France, England, Monaco, Germany and Scotland on the International Advertising and Awards Shows study abroad to attend some of the most prestigious advertising award shows in the world. Students also learned more about global and diverse cultural ideas addressed in international advertising through various field projects and events. Part of the trip included attending a significant industry event, which had a section dedicated to play and its critical role in developing creativity. Students slid down a hippo slide into a ball bit; featured next to the ball pit was a quote taken from research done by fellow BYU students from the Marriott School of Business.   Internship with Lionsgate (Courtesy of Rollins Wimber) BYU film student Rollins Wimber was accepted for a summer internship at Lionsgate, a highly respected entertainment company. While looking for summer internships, Wimber turned to a friend and BYU alum to get his foot in the door at Lionsgate.  “Leverage your BYU alumni connections,” said Wimber. “Filling out online applications likely means your resume gets dropped in the pile, but knowing someone in the company makes all the difference. I applied to a lot of film internships and got nothing until I started reaching out individually to BYU alumni.” This internship has stretched him, allowed him to grow in technical skills and helped him see that with hard work and dedication he can succeed as a filmmaker.  “I’ve realized it’s possible,” Wimber says. “It’s not like all the other people have some gift you don’t — you’re just as good. Don’t underestimate your BYU education.”   Internship with Radio America Network (Courtesy of Jennifer Borden) BYU news media student Jennifer Borden is interning for the Radio America Network in Washington D.C. this summer. As an intern, she storyboards, engineers, edits and publishes various episodes and podcasts. Borden also helps develop, edit and publish videos for YouTube and Facebook Live. “​I put a lot of the skills I have learned in class to work,” said Borden. “Now I have a good number of finished projects that prove I can deliver on the skills I’ve learned at BYU.” Borden will have researched and assembled a video project about interest rates by the end of her internship.  In addition to the opportunity this internship has given her to strengthen her portfolio, Borden has been able to interact with the American Veterans Center, which shares an office with the Radio America Network.  “I was able to interact with some very cool veterans — that made me very proud to be the daughter of a veteran,” said Borden. “Living in Washington D.C. placed me in an environment where I constantly met really amazing people.”   Field Study Documenting More2Life Foundation (Courtesy of Kris Boyle) BYU communications professor Kris Boyle and students Jenae Hyde and Lindsey Peterson headed to New York to document the BYU Football team’s annual More2Life Foundation trip. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake created the More2Life foundation with the intention of helping disadvantaged youth through mentoring, education and athletic opportunities.  Boyle and his students were able to witness and document firsthand the mutually beneficial experience for all involved. The team spent two days with BYU football players and coaches in Harlem filming and photographing the interactions and events. The content shot and edited by Hyde and Peterson will be published on the website for the new sports media journalism sequence that will launch this fall.   National Association for Media Literacy Education’s Biennial Conference (Courtesy of TMA Newsletter) Department of Theatre and Media Arts [...]

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]]> Experimenting and Making Mistakes: BYU Dance Students and Faculty on NW Dance Project’s Masterclass https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/masterclasses/experimenting-and-making-mistakes-byu-dance-students-and-faculty-on-nw-dance-projects-masterclass/ Fri, 10 May 2019 18:17:25 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=47250 Lauren Halversen, Nathan Balser, and Kate Monson talk about dancing with members of the NW Dance Project and about making mistakes   With a focus on pushing the frontiers of contemporary dance, Portland-based dance company NW Dance Project is one of the premier groups pioneering new choreography and methods in the American contemporary dance scene. BYU dance students and faculty were excited to learn from the company’s innovative approach to current dance trends in a masterclass with members of the ensemble during their recent campus visit. “The professors in the contemporary area have a philosophy that we want to model for our students,” said contemporary dance professor Kate Monson. “Taking opportunities to learn from different sources is really important. That includes a physical embodiment and not just watching.” Read more at the Department of Dance’s website.

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]]> CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE EXPRESSES HUMAN CONNECTION, SPIRITUALITY THROUGH MOVEMENT https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/events/contemporary-dance-theatre-expresses-human-connection-spirituality-through-movement/ Thu, 07 Feb 2019 23:07:12 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=45138 The high-energy concert features original choreography by guest artists alongside Martha Graham’s historically significant “Dark Meadow” BYU Contemporary Dance Theatre (CDT) will celebrate spirituality and the human experience through movement when the company’s Pardoe Theatre concert opens on Feb. 7. Contemporary dance is an ever-evolving field, employing innovative techniques to explore and express broader messages in a way that words cannot. Though the CDT performance will take audiences through a range of genres, moods and themes — from home and family to sentient robots — the connecting thread between each piece is the beauty and dignity of the human family. Read more here.

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]]> ‘Big Chocolate’ Brings Hip Hop to BYU Classrooms https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/department-of-dance/big-chocolate-brings-hip-hop-to-byu-classrooms/ Thu, 03 Jan 2019 17:04:06 +0000 https://cfac-archived.byu.edu/?p=44898 Walking around campus in a durag and snapback, with tattoos peeking out from under his sleeves, Marc Cameron doesn’t look like a typical BYU instructor. Cameron is proficient in most hip-hop dance forms but has earned the most fame through popping, a street style dance where dancers flex their muscles in time with the music to create a popping effect. The two-time world champion popper teaches students about hip-hop dance forms and the culture surrounding them. Read more here.

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