The Columbia Chronicle’s Mya DeJesus featured out students’ debut of their original work! Senior dance majors Grace Butt and Erica Jones presented choreographed pieces in the show “In a World of Becoming.” For both of them, it was their first time showing their choreography on The Dance Center’s stage.
Student choreographers debut original work during Admitted Students Day performance
Original choreography by two seniors anchored the Dance Center performance, giving admitted students a closer look at the program’s creative and professional training…
…While the performance this weekend gave prospective students a look at the program, it also gave current dance majors another venue to present original work, Sutton said.
“This is an option for students to be able to show their creative work in an alternate format outside of a traditional concert,” [Artistic Director Meredith Sutton] said.
Both [Erica] Jones and [Grace] Butt had two separate pieces that highlighted different themes of what they learned in college.
In her piece, “In a World of Lust,” Jones explored her experience with her relationships through her college experience. She began creating the idea of her piece by writing it in her diary and has been working on it since February.
“My message is kind of to show the audience the differentiation between love and lust, because sometimes, often in the world, we combine the two, rather than separating the two, because they’re two separate things,” she said.
Jones’ dream is to be a choreographer. She said she was anxious for the Admitted Students Day performance, with it being her first time having her choreographed work performed on the stage.
“I would like for them to gain inspiration, not only from the piece itself, but from just the creativity of it. Know that you can go as far as you can reach,” she said. “Being an artist is very important in the world we live in today. Actually, the world needs more artists…”
…Butt’s piece in the show was entitled “Anxieties of Becoming.” She has been working on the piece since the end of her junior year and drew inspiration from the anxieties she carried when first starting her journey at Columbia.
“My piece more specifically is about college and the anxieties of what happens when you come here, and what were those first emotions when you came here, navigating all of that..”
…“For us to put this out and be the main producers [of the show], put out flyers, do everything, it’s kind of like, whoa, we’re really becoming what we really wanted to do,” she said…
banner image: photo by Carlos Alanis-Avila for the Columbia Chronicle.
