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The concert marks a return to the stage for most Muhlenberg dancers; it follows last month\u2019s Senior Dance Showcase as just the second live dance performance at Muhlenberg since February 2020 \u2014 and the first to feature all four class years.<\/p>\n
\u201cEphemerality\u201d will be performed in an outdoor tent on the Muhlenberg campus, Friday through Sunday at 6 p.m. daily. It will be performed in the round, with audience members socially distanced on all sides of the stage. Seating is general admission, open only to Muhlenberg students, faculty, and staff. Other patrons can request access to a video of the performance as soon as it becomes available. Admission \u2014 both in-person and online \u2014 is free.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis concert is truly living up to its name on so many levels,\u201d says\u00a0Randall Anthony Smith<\/b>, the concert\u2019s artistic director and faculty advisor. \u201cThe dance works hold an energy specific to the choreographers and how they connect to the construct of time \u2014 but the pieces also extend outward into the psychic spaces of the performers, as they unravel the fabric of time from their own perspective and identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith is working alongside two student artistic directors,\u00a0Amber Dietrich<\/b>\u00a0\u201921 and\u00a0Arianna Tilley<\/b>\u00a0\u201922, who will both also be performing and choreographing in this concert.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe show is a testament to the way that creativity has been fueled under the difficult and unimagined circumstances of the past year,\u201d Dietrich says. \u201cBut it also provides a sense of comfort by offering a space for our community to come back together to make and share such powerful art.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tilley has been studying remotely from her hometown this semester. She\u2019s holding rehearsals for her piece entirely online.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a blessing because I can get the dancers out into the world and dance in spaces that evoke memories for them,\u201d Tilley says. \u201cIt has been both touching and uplifting to watch the entire dance community come together to create something new and beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEphemerality: Dances In Time\u201d will showcase the work of 12 student and three faculty choreographers, and will feature more than 60 dancers from the department\u2019s dance program, among the most highly regarded programs of its kind.<\/p>\n
The 15 original dances feature styles inspired by contemporary modern, various jazz idioms, ballroom fusion, and contemporary ballet, and will include two pieces performed virtually.<\/p>\n
Faculty choreographer\u00a0Meredith Stapleton<\/b>\u00a0’13 derives influence for her piece from the many pandemic-related artistic shifts that she has undergone over the past year. Rather than simply sharing movement, she says, this piece documents self, time and growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent a lot more time alone, dancing alone, and thinking about performance without much of an audience,\u201d Stapleton says. \u201cThen I got pregnant, and realized I was no longer alone. This has brought up a sea of curious, rather existential questions, which I will be happy to explore for the rest of my life. For this project, I was inspired to explore these inquiries within a group piece for solo artists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Choreographer\u00a0Kate McCowan<\/b>\u00a0\u201922 created a piece that explores various sensations of time that she has felt throughout the past year, which she identifies as \u201curgency, expansiveness, and suspension\u201d of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019ve been virtual since last spring, many of the dancers are working together for the first time, and it\u2019s been so exciting to see their vibrancy as a group,\u201d she says. \u201cI hope that this piece will highlight their individuality as they develop physicalizations of these three distinct sensations within time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Choreographer\u00a0Sarah O\u2019Sullivan<\/b>\u00a0\u201922 explores the escapism she finds as she becomes engrossed in her favorite book or film realm, which she hopes will share joy among the dancers and the audience members.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was inspired by the experience of using media and books as a way to travel to different worlds during a time when physical travel was not possible,\u201d O\u2019Sullivan says. \u201cBecoming a part of these romanticized, idealized, escapist worlds often creates a sense of delight and solace. I wanted to create a jazz-ballet infused piece of work which reflects these feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEphemerality: Dances In Time\u201d runs April 16-18 outdoors on Muhlenberg\u2019s campus, 2400 Chew St., Allentown.<\/p>\n
Live performances are Friday through Sunday, April 16-18, at 6 p.m. daily. Off-campus patrons can request access to a video of the performance, available a few days after the show, at\u00a0muhlenberg.edu\/seeashow<\/a>. General admission is free. Tickets are not required, but patrons must have their Muhlenberg ID. The Mainstage performance series is produced by Muhlenberg College’s acclaimed Theatre & Dance Department, The Princeton Review consistently ranks Muhlenberg’s production program in the top 20 in the nation, including a No. 7 ranking in its current college guide. The Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theatre and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States.<\/p>\n Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private, four-year residential college located in Allentown, Pa., approximately 90 miles west of New York City. With an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, sciences, business, education and public health. A member of the Centennial Conference, Muhlenberg competes in 22 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.<\/i><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Innovative outdoor dance performance, April 16-18,\u00a0 marks one of the first live dance performances\u00a0 in over a year at Muhlenberg Allentown, Pa. (April 6, 2021) \u2014 Muhlenberg College dancers share … Continue reading \u2018Ephemerality: Dances In Time\u2019 dance concert celebrates return to live performance, showcases work by student and faculty<\/span>
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\nMore information is available at\u00a0muhlenberg.edu\/seeashow<\/a>.
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\nInformation Provided By:
\nMuhlenberg College
\nDepartment of Theatre & Dance
\n2400 Chew Street
\nAllentown, PA 18104
\nScott Snyder
\nMarketing Manager<\/p>\n
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