Olivia Nobles
Staff Writer
Troy’s Department of Theater and Dance and Department of Art and Design are busy preparing their art and dance showcase “Art in Motion,” which will open Thursday, Nov. 8.
The production will marry the creations of dance students with those of art students.
“Normally, the fall show is all student choreography,” said Olivia Tompkins, a sophomore dance major from Jacksonville.
“The premise for this show is that we were each assigned an artist from a collaborative class, and we worked together throughout the semester.”
Kara Justice, a senior art major from Alabaster, said the job of the artists involved with the show was to “observe the choreographer’s piece and create an artwork representing that dance.”
Justice said anyone attending the show will see both 2-D and 3-D art throughout the production.
According to Tompkins, audiences should anticipate a great deal of emotional diversity in the production.
“The pieces in the show, while a few have similar themes, vary from a fun dance about cats to grief,” Tompkins said.
This collaboration between artists and dancers to create emotionally motivated performances understandably fostered a bond between many pairs of students.
“I’ve really enjoyed this experience, and the choreographer I’ve worked with has been really open to my ideas and has trusted me to do my work,” Justice said. “It’s been good to be involved in the dance department again, because I used to dance as well, so that common terminology made it easier for us to communicate about how I would create my pieces.”
“I think the emotion in the dance that I worked with is something I’ve grappled with in my own life, and that allowed me to pour myself into this work in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise,” said Allison Riley, a senior art major from Cowarts.
“The anxiety and chaos that I’ve put into my work is very much my own, and it’s been a strange sort of catharsis throughout the semester.”
Besides the benefits of learning how to collaborate with other creatives, this process has provided dance students with valuable experience pertaining to the technical aspect of hosting a production.
“This experience has helped me grow all around as a performer,” said Christine Gipson, a freshman dance major from Auburn. “Performing at a university is a completely different experience than at high school, because everyone takes it more seriously.
“Here, we’re all very focused on improving our craft.”
Gipson also outlined the dancers’ demanding preparation schedule. Weekly rehearsals have been conducted since September, and each Friday, the performers put on the show in front of peers and professors alike for critique.
Additionally, as the performers approach opening night, last-minute technical adjustments and costume fixes have been made.
The show will be performed from Nov. 8 through Nov. 10 at 7 p.m., and on Nov. 11 at 2:30 p.m., in the Trojan Center Theatre. Tickets are available online and at the TC box office for $5 with a student ID or $10 without one.
