February 7-9, 2008
Empie Theatre, Baker Center for the Arts
Thursday and Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 pm and 8 pm

A major Lehigh Valley dance event featuring the works of regional, national, and international artists, this concert presents a range of dance styles from classical ballet, to modern, dance to tap and jazz. Acclaimed American Ballet Theatre Principals Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner restaged the Tudor ballet Continuo for the Muhlenberg concert in honor of Anthony Tudor’s achievements and the 100th anniversary of his birth. Tudor has been closely associated with American Ballet Theatre and is considered one of the great ballet choreographers of the 20th century.

Concert highlights also included the premiere of a new contemporary ballet by internationally noted dancer Zane Booker. Booker's credits include Baryshnikov's White Oak Project, The Netherlands Dance Theatre, Ballets de Monte Carlo and Philadanco. Working with a cast of eight women and one man, the ballet blends technical virtuosity with the emotional undercurrents of contemporary society.

Faculty member Sarah Carlson recreated and restaged a solo she made as part of her Fulbright Fellowship in Benin, Africa last spring. The work explores Christian and African spirituality through a ritualized female chorus of eight women and featured Maureen Jerant on jambe drums and a live choral accompaniment. Faculty member Charles O. Anderson, recently named by Dance Magazine as "One of 25 to Watch", premiered an athletic tour do force for eleven men which explores the juncutre of authenticity, emotion and undying love (photo above).

NATIONAL FINALIST

The all male piece, evidence of things (un)said, choreographed by Assistant Professor Charles O. Anderson, took the Amercan College Dance Festival conference by storm this spring, and has been selected to perform at the National level showcase in New York City this June. Anderson and his cast prepared tirelessly for their performance. The work was first presented in one of the four adjudicated concerts of the festival. Every dance is assessed via a blind adjudication and given feedback by a panel of 3 respected individuals of the dance world.
The adjudicators, as well as the audience, were stunned by the power of 10 men dancing together with such passion and athleticism. The audience applauded and cheered as the stage faded to black.  The feedback for the work was very positive. “Brilliant,” “Wow,” and “Kudos to the choreographer” were among many great comments.

Both the dramatic lighting, by Paul Theisen Jr., and the white flowing costumes, by Constance Case, were recognized as well. The dance’s first impression earned a spot in the Gala Concert which showcases the best 10 works of the 48 adjudicated. The adjudicators watched the Gala to select 3 dances to represent the Mid-Atlantic Region at the National Festival. evidence of thing (un)said was the final dance of the evening. There was a sincere buzz of excitement in the audience. Within the first minute there were shouts and cheers from the audience, they continued throughout the piece as well. The men danced together as an inseparable unit. The movement was executed with commitment and passion. The audience responded with standing ovations and a roar of cheers and applause. It was clear that Charles O. Anderson and his cast had accomplished something great.

There were 429 works adudicated nationwide in 10 regional conferences for American College Theatre Festival 2008. Only 30 dances were invited to National Festival. Muhlenberg's "evidence of things (un)said" is one of them. Congratulations to Charles O. Anderson, his male dancers Michael Biren ‘08, Erik Fiebiger ’09, Brandon Girouard ‘08, Dany Guy ‘08, Kennedy Kanagawa ‘08, Michael Laskaris ‘11, Mike Miller ‘09, William Porter ‘08, Theodore Rutherford ‘08, and Scott Schneider ’11, and to the dedicated rehearsal assistants Meagan Bruskewicz ’08 and Vanessa Sandler ’10.

Brilliant choreography at 'Berg

February 9, 2008
By Diana Morse - www.themorningcall.com

Muhlenberg College artistic director Karen Dearborn cast a broad artistic net to land a brilliant collection of dance pieces for the college's 2008 Master Choreographers Concert, which opened Thursday and continues through today.

The evening's centerpiece, Antony Tudor's ballet ''Continuo,'' is a breathtaking etude celebrating love. Set to Pachelbel's Canon in D, three couples -- shirts romantically billowing and pale blue skirts softly flowing -- court beauty as well as each other.

Maureen Jerant's passionate drumming, enhanced by an a capella quintet, accompanies ''Gathering Soul,'' Sarah Carlson's fusion of faiths. Set at times only to the trickle of a rainstick, the piece merging African and American traditions paints baptismal-like rituals as emerging from the same font, whether performed in the River Jordan or the Congo.

Kathleen Bibalo's ''15 Step,'' featuring Michael Biren and Lindsey Howard, infuses lusty abandon into acrobatic hip-hop. The 15-plus-one dancers revel in the heady, athletic piece, enjoying the wind in their hair while defying gravity.

Zane Booker's ''Presence Unknown'' studies aloneness in a crowd, with lengthy shadows as unwitting partners -- or witnesses -- to the chilling portrait for nine dancers set to James Carter and The Prisoner's ''Po' Lazarus.''

Conversely, Corrie Franz Cowart's ''Affinities'' is a tidal ebb and flow of congenial desires. Cowart's cast of 15 women, in Caribbean-toned, tie-dyed outfits, flirt with themes of Venus rising, alternately supporting one another then frolicking apart, each seeking personal truth.

Costumes often assist in storytelling, and this is true of Charles O. Anderson's ''evidence of things (un)said.'' Designer Constance Case's cloudlike tunics belie the gritty tribute to the dead and dying soldier. Rhythmic undercurrents are layered with Essex Hemphill's spoken ''So Many Dreams,'' vocally augmented by an able cast of 11 men. A graphic passing over, the piece wrestles with the attitude of ''bring it on'' and the resignation of ''it is finished.'' Anderson's knack for creating riveting isolation, blending unison moves with little eye contact, is suited to the dance representing the guttural aloneness of the fallen.

A grand finale, Shelley Oliver's ''3 EZ Pieces,'' set to live music composed by David Leonhardt, rocked Muhlenberg's Empie Theatre. Jazz pianist Leonhardt, with drummer Paul Wells and bassist Greg Eicher, set the tone for the more than a dozen energetic tap dancers as they rhythmically challenge one another to take it to the next level.

Diana Morse - Copyright © 2008, The Morning Call - themorningcall.com

Muhlenberg dancers celebrate Tudor's birthday with tender ballet

Dance companies wishing to honor choreographer Antony Tudor by restaging one of his ballets in 2008 -- the 100th anniversary of his birth -- have been in a flurry of activity.

Before the first rehearsal, licensing must be granted from the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust to stage one of the more than 50 works by the father of what has come to be known as the ''psychological ballet.''

The approval process can be lengthy, often involving video submissions of dancers and possibly a visit from one of the dozen or so trust representatives who worked with Tudor before his death in 1987 to help determine whether a company is capable of performing the innovative works. For Muhlenberg College dance instructor Ellen Troy Mulcahy, however, getting approved was the easy part.

A Joffrey Ballet apprentice in the '70s, Mulcahy had danced in two of the 20th-century choreographer's contemporary works, ''Little Improvisations'' and ''Continuo'' under then artistic director Sally Brayley Bliss, a former Tudor dancer and co-founder of the Jofferey II Dancers.


Mulcahy reconnected with Bliss at Joffrey Ballet's 50th reunion, held in Chicago in spring 2006. Upon learning Bliss had been named director for the Tudor Trust, Mulcahy boldly seized the moment.

''I told [Bliss] I thought Tudor would be appropriate given the level of talent of [Muhlenberg's] students,'' she recalls.

Mulcahy's efforts helped garner rights to present ''Continuo,'' one of three small works the English-born choreographer composed in the 1970s for Juilliard students.

The tender, seven-minute work featuring a cast of three couples and set to Pachelbel's ''Canon in D'' will be the centerpiece of the college's Master Choreographers Concert.

Which brings up the hard part: bringing the Tudor work to life.

''Tudor's ballets always have a subtext that connects with people,'' Mulcahy says, a nod to the ''psychological'' aspect of Tudor's works. ''There's a relationship between dancers underneath [the choreography], and always a reason to be doing a certain movement at a particular time.

''Also, Tudor's fluidity and expression of the upper body is different from his contemporary, George Balanchine. Whereas Balanchine incorporates a lot of wide, big movement, Tudor's movement comes from the center of body, with a lot going on underneath the surface.''

Mulcahy and Karen Dearborn, Muhlenberg professor and director of dance, called on former American Ballet Theater dancers and Tudor Trust representatives Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner for assistance. The couple recently restaged ''Continuo'' with the Tucson Ballet, and last November held a week-long internship to coach Muhlenberg dancers.

''Tudor's works are definitely experiencing a peak in popularity,'' McKerrow notes during a recent conversation from Denver, where the couple is working with the Colorado ballet to produce Tudor's ''Leaves are Fading.'' McKerrow, a former principal with American Ballet Theater, agrees with Mulcahy's assessment of Tudor's meaningful, ''psychological'' choreography.

''Every movement comes from an emotional or thoughtful place,'' she says. ''It's never physical movement for movement's sake -- there's a meaning behind it, for which Tudor was very specific as a choreographer.

''People consider his work abstract, but he said, 'As long as there are people in the work, it's not abstract.' He always dealt with the thinking, emotional, thoughtful person. Mr. Balanchine often crafted pure dance for the joy of it. Both share depth, but Tudor's works include more thoughtful motivation.''

Tudor's larger works include ''Lilac Garden,'' ''Pillar of Fire'' and ''Dark Elegies.'' ''Continuo,'' together with ''Sunflowers'' and ''Sirius'' were exercises written under a National Endowment for the Arts grant.

''[The larger works] are more dramatic, whereas 'Continuo' is more lyrical,'' Mulcahy explains. ''What the trust is doing is encouraging groups that are not major ballet companies to start off with a smaller ballet to get their feet wet, learn the style, then tackle one of the bigger roles.''

'''Continuo' is a wonderful study in partnering, which is quite challenging, as Mr. Tudor's style requires a great deal of strength,'' McKerrow notes. ''In any great partnership there is coordination, but in [Tudor's] ballets, it's imperative.''

Several of the lifts in ''Continuo,'' including an ornate ''ribbon lift,'' require a great deal of strength on the part of both the men and women dancers. Several are reminiscent of a weight lifter's clean-and-jerk, with men lifting partners from the floor without even a helpful jeté.
''It's not enough to just do the lift,'' notes Gardner. ''The partnering is complex, and the quality of each lift must be the same as if she's dancing by herself,'' Gardner says. ''The women are often choreographed to turn opposite what you'd expect, which can also be problematic.''

According to the couple, Muhlenberg's dancers have risen to the occasion remarkably.

''We feel the piece is in really good hands,'' McKerrow says. ''[Bliss] knew she could take Ellen's word about her students' capabilities, and she was right.''

Dancers in the romantic piece will wear dreamy confections in pale blue and cream. The breezy fabrics are a soft reflection of ''Canon in D's'' lilting melodies.

It may only be coincidence that ''Continuo'' will be performed near Valentine's Day, but for those who appreciate the delicate, evocative work, it's a happy one.

''Mr. Tudor didn't like to explain too much about his dances, but if pushed, he would,'' McKerrow explains. ''There is a romantic element to 'Continuo': All three of the couples are in love.''

And though pundits may disagree, dance, like love, is timeless.

''It brings back some wonderful memories,'' Mulcahy says, breaking from a recent rehearsal with her youthful dancers. ''I was 16 years old when I performed this myself, and I remember loving it then. It's a beautiful piece.''