‘Dance NOW’ features faculty, guest choreographers

Willa Piro
Contributing Writer

For “VCU Dance NOW 2013,” inspiration was drawn from unlikely sources, including railroad tracks and donkey rides.

Annually, the VCU Department of Dance and Choreography presents “VCU Dance NOW,” a showcase of the VCU Dance department’s faculty choreographers and guest artists, performed by dance majors.

This year’s show featured new work by six faculty members of the VCU Dance department, along with the fall 2012 guest artist, Kate Weare, and spring 2013 guest artist, Stephanie Martinez.

Dance and choreography major David Claypoole had the fortunate experience of working with guest artist Martinez in her dance, “Transport.” Claypoole described the process as a partial collaboration between the dancers and Martinez.

“(The choreographers) would give us movement and we would be asked to really work with that movement and develop it,” Claypoole said.

Martinez also challenged the undergraduate dancers by putting them on a professional level.

“She really wanted to push us physically…preparing us for that next step forward,” Claypoole said.

Claypoole was also part of faculty member Martha Curtis’s piece, “Staying in the Race,” initially inspired by a donkey ride on a Greek island. Claypoole said that the humor throughout the piece softens the more serious underlying tones.

“It’s a very quirky work taking inspiration from multiple themes and tying them all together,” Claypoole said.

The guest artists provide dance students with a chance to work with a unique and new voice, challenging them to push themselves as dancers to explore new areas. Faculty member and “VCU Dance NOW” contributing choreographer Courtney Harris noted how she saw the dancers evolving through their guest artist experience.

“I literally am seeing them grow and flourish and become stronger and more powerful performers and dancers,” Harris said. “That’s why we’re here. It gives me chills to see them do such justice to this work.”

Since Weare was only at VCU for two weeks in the fall to choreograph, faculty members of the dance department worked with the students on the piece Weare choreographed. Harris was one of the faculty rehearsal directors on Weare’s piece “Murder Your Darlings.” She, along with faculty member and “VCU Dance NOW” choreographer Christian von Howard, assisted in the rehearsal process once the choreography had been taught and Weare had left.

Harris also contributed to the show with her duet, “Tracking.” Inspired by the image of railroad tracks, and tracking, the piece examines how “we drop into these prescribed tracks of how to be and we don’t question it,” Harris said.

The duet features dance majors Ryan Smith and Quincie Hydock. Hydock described the experience of working on the duet as intense yet rewarding, creating an intimate collaborative experience between her, Harris and Smith.

Hydock also expressed enthusiasm for the entire show. “It’s just really cool to see it all come together and … see what your faculty has put on your fellow students,” she said.