ALL ABOUT DUETS

It's showtime! We had a great dress rehearsal tonight and we open tomorrow night, May 8, at 8 pm on the Mainstage at the Rio Grande Campus.

Darla Johnson is premiering a work with her Dance Workshop class in the Choreographers' Showcase that revolves around the formation of numerous duets. The ensemble piece also features a video by our fantastic lighting designer, Megan Reilly.

Armando Delgado and Nedda Tehrany in rehearsal for Two, and

What was your process like for creating Two, and?

I started with a series of duets; creating movement phrases and structures that the students then manipulated. I put everyone into pairs and we tried a number of different pairings.

I knew I wanted a video in the piece. The idea was to frame the duets with different images. It was a way of creating contrast using the ideas of grace and effort to frame the work.

What was the inspiration behind the video images?

I wanted the duets framed with different natural images. The idea really was grace and effort and how that's reflected, or could be reflected, in nature. 

What was your logic for grouping the students into duets?

Well, there are actually a lot more pairings than you'll see onstage. But it was about wanting to find the energy and flow. And I wanted to get everyone onstage as much as I could.There are three men in the work so there's somewhat of a natural female/male relationship. But it's not about romance. It's about connectivity; how we create shape, tension and flow.

What would you want your audience to takeaway from Two, and?

Just the idea of how two people can interact.

Lauren Lym and Marilyn Connelly in rehearsal for Two, and

For more information about the show, visit our Facebook. The show runs Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9, and 8 pm on the Mainstage at the Rio Grande Campus. Tickets are available at the door; $5 for students and seniors and $10 for general admission.

Photography by Anne Wharton.