Show week!

This weekend ACC dancers from Dance Composition and Performance Workshop will take to the Mainstage at the Rio Grande Campus for their annual Fall Choreographers’ Showcase. 

Instead of the traditional format, the showcase this year is constructed around a theme of home. Each piece flows into the next work creating a seamless evening dance concert. The opening number sets the tone for the concert and is choreographed by the current president of the ACC Student Dance Company, Sarah Wingfield.

Sarah clarifying movement for her dancers.

Sarah shared a little about her conceptual ideas and her process during rehearsal this week. 

Where did your concept originate?

Darla had us explore what home was and I ended up writing an essay. It basically concluded that I was trying to find home within myself instead of other people and places. I wanted to take home with me.

ACC dancers rehearsing Sarah's work. 

When did your concept first morph into movement?

Honestly, I don’t really remember when and how; it just solidified and was kinda there one day. I was actually having a bad day and I found myself at Butler Park people watching. I thought why don’t I do this? Use people watching. The piece fell into place then.

Why Butler park?

I couldn’t be in a place with a lot of people like a restaurant. I drove around for awhile and ended up parking my car at Butler. The park has a lot of significance for me because I had my first performance with ACC dance there in Allison Orr’s site-specific class several years ago. It was a really comfortable, cozy, familiar place where my brain was inspired. It was a good place to be anonymous.

ACC dancers rehearsing Sarah's work.

What do you want the audience to take away from your piece, if anything?

I haven’t really thought about it. I guess, compassion; compassion for the worlds of other people. I want them to think about the random person having coffee next to them every once in awhile. Why are they in that specific coffee shop? Why do they prefer Earl Grey to a latte? We all have a little back story.

Sarah’s pedestrian style piece is really summed up in the title: Enigmatic, Gnosienne Sondes. Intrigued? Her piece premieres in the showcase on Friday and Saturday, December 5 and 6 on the Mainstage at the Rio Grande Campus. Tickets are available at the door: $5 for students and seniors and $10 for the general public. 

More info here.

Pictures by Anne Wharton