The Dance Company of Middlebury, under the artistic direction of Penny Campbell, begins rehearsals in January for another dynamic year of study, choreography, and performance. Company members are selected by audition to spend two credit-bearing semesters preparing a concert for presentation on campus and on tour. Members of the 2004–2005 company are Ellen Smith '05, Julia Basso '04, Kate Stamper '04, Alex Rhinehart '05, Kate Elias '06, Hannah Giles '06, Louisa Irving '07, and Becca Marcus '07.
Join the Company
in Cuba!
A limited number of spaces are available to those interested in joining the company in Cuba. Dates of travel are March 17–25 and the inclusive fee is estimated to be about $2,200 per person. For further information or to reserve your place, contact Penny Campbell at campbell@middlebury.edu, 802-443-5874, or 802-897-2033. |
This year's repertory features choreography by Smith, a senior dance major, work by other dance majors, and an exciting collaboration with Cuban composer Raúl Guará. Guará's composition Intervados—a substantial work for six musicians—includes both written and improvised material that depicts the encounter and interaction of our two entangled cultures. Director of Music for Dance, Michael Chorney, and other local musicians re-create and record the score for performances here in Middlebury, and, with luck, the dancers will be able to experience the Cuban version in March during their visit to Havana.
The company will follow up on the first Cuba Project (2003) by visiting Havana and Matanzas provinces in March to experience Afro-Cuban religious expressions. Expert lecturers, practitioners, and teachers will guide the company and the associates who join them. They will learn more about the robust Santeria (or Regla de Ocha), a religion with its origins in slavery that fuses both African and Catholic beliefs and rituals. Here in Vermont, the company will focus on the ritual roots of our own performing art and slavery's lasting impact on modern dance.
An informal showing of work in progress is presented in the Center for the Arts Dance Theatre on Tuesday, March 15, at 4:30 p.m. Watch for details of the fully produced April concerts in the next newsletter.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The trip to Cuba with the Dance Company of Middlebury has unfortunately been cancelled. Please see the upcoming Arts Newsletter (available under "News and Publications" by March 25th) for an update on DCM activities.