FALL DANCE 2019
Production features various dance styles, pieces from renowned choreographers
Fall Dance 2019 will be held Oct. 16-20 in McGinnis Theatre.
TICKETS
Oct. 16-19 – 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19-20 – 2 p.m.
$15 Public | $10 Students
East Carolina University’s production of Fall Dance 2019 will take place in McGinnis Auditorium from Oct. 16-20.
The production will feature pieces from renowned artists Agnes de Mille and Merce Cunningham, as well as original work from students and faculty. The production will feature various styles of dance such as tap, classical ballet and jazz.
Director John Dixon says that the event will offer something special to the audience given its variety in dance styles.
“When you come to see this play, you’re going to see works that will stretch your imagination and give you new perspectives on what dance art can do and how you can respond to dance art,” said Dixon, associate professor of dance at ECU.
The de Mille piece will feature a selection of excerpts from “Oklahoma!,” considered to be one of the greatest works from the Golden Age of musical theater.
“It was staged via the de Mille Foundation and we are lucky that we have close connections with them through one of the faculty of our school, Dirk Lumbard, who worked with de Mille,” Dixon said.
ECU junior Ashley McDonnell is one of the saloon dancers, known as “Postcard Girls,” in the Agnes de Mille piece.
“My section includes many high kicks and lifts with the cowboys and, as saloon girls, we are dressed in traditional can-can costumes,” McDonnell said.
Another highlight will be works from Cunningham, who was known for innovative ways of creating modern dance. The piece will be part of the centennial celebration of Cunningham’s birth.
“There’s a huge international celebration of Cunningham’s work this year, so we’re happy to be a part of that,” Dixon said.
ECU junior Michaela O’Leary, who will be performing in both the de Mille and Cunningham pieces, says that preparing for the production was a long but exciting process.
“With the de Mille piece, we had a week or two of residency where the piece was set on the dancers and we rehearsed every night for three hours; and the Cunningham piece was a similar process, with a residency for two weeks where we rehearsed for three hours each night,” O’Leary said.
O’Leary hopes that the audience can learn more about dance art and will want to support it in the future.
“We try to make sure we are always giving people a range of works to respond to, that both bring them forward in their understanding of dance art but also send them out the door, happy that they came,” Dixon said.
For more information, call the box office at 252-328-6829 (open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday) or visit the School of Theatre and Dance 2019-2020 Season site.
The dance concert will engage audiences with a diverse range from classical ballet and contemporary to jazz and explosive tap.