Saturday, April 18, 2015

Darla Johnson on the Austin Dance Festival


This year’s Austin Dance Festival has an amazing array of artists from all over Texas and even some from California. But there are also a few familiar faces. Our own Darla Johnson will be presenting her work, Center of Effort II with music by Steve Reich. You might recognize one or two of the dancers. Our lovely Catherine Solaas is joined by Michelle Nance from Texas State and Carissa Topham, who dances with Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company. 

Darla Johnson discusses the concept for her dance and the differences between choreographing on students and professionals. She also shares why she can’t wait to attend the Austin Dance Festival.


Catherine and Michelle in rehearsal.

How did you come up with your concept?
The title comes from a sailing term that describes how the force of the wind meets at the intersection of the two sails and propels the boat forward … The constant drive of the music acts like the roiling sea moving the dancers through space and time. Trios, duets and solos are constructed and deconstructed throughout the work.  The dancers move like the tide, ebbing and flowing throughout the dance.  Movement glides, swirls, spirals and descends and ascends as the dancers move, and are moved by the image of the waves and the wind.


Michelle and Catherine in rehearsal.
Was your process different from how you work with students?
Working with students I'm constantly challenging myself to create work that is challenging for them but also allows them to perform at their best technical abilities.  It's a fine line of pushing them to grow and having them be comfortable on stage.  With the professional cast I have now, I was able to work more intricately with space and time creating a dance that for me really reflects the concept more fully. 


Carissa Topham in rehearsal.
If you had students in the audience, what would you want them to take away from your piece?
I hope the students can see a work that is conceptually full and recognize the choreographic elements at play.

What are you most excited about for the Austin Dance Festival?
I'm very excited to see all of the other choreographers’ work.  It's going to be a great day of dance and I'm sure I'll be very inspired by the end of it.  


Darla’s piece, The Center of Effort II, will be performed in the 8 pm show. Tickets and more information are available online. 


Photography by Anne Wharton.

Friday, April 10, 2015

ACC at ACDA!

Photo by Ogaga Anuta
The Austin Community College Dance Department didn’t have much downtime over spring break. Instead, Professor Catherine Solaas brought a group of students to Texas Tech University in Lubbock for the annual American College Dance Association Conference (ACDA). The group performed a faculty piece by Catherine called The Most Coveted for adjudicators and participated in the multiple classes offered at the conference.

Catherine Solaas talks about her work and how the conference impacted her and her students:

What was your process and concept for the faculty piece? 
The faculty piece, The Most Coveted, is meant to bring the audience into a world where large circular sweeping movement and dynamic partnering underlay an investigation into the mechanisms at play when one is wrapped up in "keeping up with the Joneses;”  when one organizes their life around a desire for success and material possessions. The dancers present an unrelenting pattern of everyday routine and consider whether the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  Process-wise, given our busy performance calendar, we dove right in to rehearsals on day one with lots of phrase material. Then we manipulated material, read up on our theme, and manipulated more material. We spent a lot of time "dating" movement ideas. We broke up with some. We became involved with others. We got married to a few - does that make any sense? And now we have valuable adjudicator feedback to take forward.

What were some of the benefits you gained in attending the conference?
Adjudicator feedback is always a highlight at ACDA! It's interesting to pay attention to how dance professionals and educators approach observing, analyzing and verbalizing their thoughts about dance performance. Making new friends is such a benefit for students! They get out there and network and talk to other dance students and faculty! That is always a fun part of the conference. And it’s exciting to witness the great variety of dance styles offered by faculty across the south central region.

What was the biggest highlight of the conference for the students?
Of course, the students are still talking about all the amazing classes they took! That's what it's all about! Their favorites ranged from Musical Theatre to Contemporary, and from Hiphop and FlaModern to something called "Respect the Ground” which reminded a couple of us that there are muscle groups in there that we don't visit with often enough! There were literally about 100 classes offered during the four days at ACDA this year, and our students took full advantage!

Photo by Ogaga Anuta
And is your piece being performed again in Austin Dance Festival (ADF)?
Yes! We are in the throes of revamping The Most Coveted for a larger cast. Seven students performed at ACDA. 11 will perform at ADF on April 18 at the 5 pm show. Then, to round off the semester, all 12 students will perform at the ACC Spring Choreographers' Showcase May 8 and 9. These students REALLY are getting the experience of a touring dance company!


Tickets for the Austin Dance Festival are available online and more information about the ACC Spring Choreographers’ Showcase will available on Facebook soon.