Presenting David

David came to ACC after 6 years in the army. He had danced on and off before joining up, so when he got out, he decided to pursue a Dance Associates. He discovered modern dance at ACC with Catherine Solaas and Allison Orr. As David puts it, “I fell in love with modern here.”

Hien's on the left and David's on the right.

David’s piece, “The Crickets Cry”, was based on a personal loss he experienced. He wanted to share those feelings through his piece. “The dance has to do with calling for loved ones whether during good times, tragedy, or bad times,” he said. He crafted his piece with the concept of his dancers embodying the different events involved in the loss of a loved one.

David's incredible last pose

Although David’s idea for his piece dramatically changed over the course of the semester, David was satisfied with the final composition. “I got a great group of dancers. They were easy to work with and we had great moments of improv,” he said. The piece includes some beautiful contact movement inspired from these points of improvisation.

Steven and David helping Hien fly. 

Dick Van Dyke is David’s favorite dancer. Movies like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang inspired David to take up dancing in the first place. David remembers, “I would rewind the scene in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with “the old bamboo” over and over again to watch Dick Van Dyke dance.”

David’s inspiration for dancing was influenced by several jobs he had working around kids. He’s been on Barney, and worked at Disney World as Pluto as well as the Cookie Monster at Sea World in San Antonio. He said, “When the kids see someone dancing or they dance there’s so much joy in them. That’s what I like to show.”

David mid-dance. 

If you didn't get to see David’s piece last night, tonight is your last chance to him along with many other incredible dancers. 8PM at the Rio Grande Campus on the Main stage on the second floor – you know you want to be there!

Pictures by Anne Wharton