by
Jan Wopperer
The bumps, bruises and sore muscles will soon
be worth it for the Buffalo State College dancers in the
spring concert at the Warren Enters Theatre.
It all comes down to their performances in
The Buffalo Dance Theatre Annual Spring Dance Concert on
April 15 and 16.
Students, faculty and alumni of the performing
arts department have been working all year on perfecting
their dance pieces for the spring concert since Fall 2004.
Choreographers Janet Reed, Joy Guarino, Ann
Burnidge, Leanne Rinello, Euleen Williams, Valitean Pennick,
Whitney Yorio and Julie Snyder put on "Works in Progress”
last semester to demonstrate what they’d accomplished
so far in the year, and now it’s time for audiences
to see the final product.
The upcoming concert, their second and final
for the academic year, consists of performances developed
by professors and students that make up the two-hour long
concert each have their own messages.
"Each of the choreographers have their
own individual backgrounds and they reflect that with the
way they move and their concepts, background and training
are important because it gives people an idea of where they're
going to work from," said Janet Reed, an associate
professor of dance and performing arts at Buffalo State.
Dance is a minor at Buffalo State and this
concert is part of the program. It gives these students
of dance the opportunity to learn and gain experience performing.
Reed has seen a lot of progress within the
performing
arts department this year.
"You know, we ended up with 38 or 39
students [participating in the spring concert], and that's
the first time that we've had that many students. I think
that's progress already. And the availability of more instructors
has helped bring in more students and the opportunity to
work with different choreographers as well," Reed said.
She is choreographer of a piece called "Hurry/Wait"
in which she makes her statement about the pace of life.
It is 21 minutes long and has three major sections.
"The piece reflects some experiences
I've had and what most people go
through ... It's just the simple things. We speed to the
light and it turns red and we have to wait, hurry up to
get to the bank but you have to wait in line. It's a common
theme that struck me, especially when I traveled to Paris."
Whitney Yorio, an arts major, has worked on
a piece with Julie Snyder called "Escaping Darkness."
These student choreographers have worked intently all year,
putting their plans for movement into motion.
"It's basically about a journey through
life, trials and tribulations brought upon us," said
Yorio.
She has always felt that it was important
to support the arts and hopes that students will come to
see their classmates in a whole new light.
Sarah Bourne, a psychology major, also has
a minor in dance and will be seen in "Escaping Darkness."
"When you dance, you have to be aware
of others and your surroundings, it all relates back to
reality. Dance also helps calm me down. When I dance, I
feel nothing but movement, no pain, fear, sadness, just
the relaxation of the movement. Dance is my release from
life," said Bourne.
All of the performances have been choreographed
with dance that portrays feelings, emotions, or even just
tells a story, with movements that combine to give a message
to the audience.
"Dance is like a story, every movement
is a part of a locomotive fairy tale almost. If the students
come to watch, they will be witnessing an intense, moving,
variety of stories," Bourne said.
Clint Byrne, a theater major at Buffalo State,
is one of only three male dancers in the concert. He says
he dances because he likes the fact that he has to learn
new things and has to keep in good shape. Byrne also feels
that it's important for students to come see the concert.
"I think our generation needs to step
up and start becoming culturally enlightened," he said.
The spring dance concert will showcase the
talent that the dancers here at Buffalo State possess, and
it's also essential for its participants that they have
an audience.
So the main message is "Be there."
• Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16
• The concert starts at 8 - 10 p.m. in the Warren
Enters Theatre, Upton Hall
• Tickets are $10 for students and $12 for regular
admission
"It touches upon a small group of people
within the Buff State community that would like to give
a voice to what the campus is like. Come! Please come and
support your fellow students. They worked really hard this
year," said Reed.
Jan Wopperer can be reached at jannygrl1@yahoo.com
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