By Lauren Gornik
An extraordinary evening featuring the most talented dancers at CSU you will not want to miss
The annual Spring Dance Concert will be an extraordinary evening consisting of ten unique dances choreographed by students, faculty members, and a historical dance reconstruction by special guest artist Yunyu Wang on Friday, April 4 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 5 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the University Dance Theatre at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.
Tickets are $8 for CSU students, $8 for youth (under 18), and $18 for the public. Tickets are available at the University Center for the Arts (UCA) ticket office in the UCA lobby, by phone at 970-491-ARTS (2787) or online at www.CSUArtsTickets.com. Youth tickets must be purchased in person at the Ticket Office. Advance purchase is recommended to avoid at-the-door fees.
Chung-Fu Chang, associate professor of dance at CSU, will be sharing his new piece, “Angels in Blank Slates,” which he created for the CSU Tour Dance Company. His inspiration stems from the idea that elements from enchanting fairy tales, myths, and legends are alive in our real world, but live with us in various hidden forms and objects.
“Throughout the piece, dancers rediscover and awake their own beliefs and truths by calling out to these angels of hope in these hidden objects,” said Chang.
Dance production assistant, Emma Kimball, will perform a collaborative piece with poet Noah Kaplan. She intertwines the rhythm, tone, volume, and texture of his poem, “A Love Letter,” with her artistic movements. This partnership creates a wonderful dance that demonstrates the difference between both forms of communication and expression.
Many of the student dances are beautiful pieces also revolving around the idea of love. Student choreographer, Lindsay Dighero, creates a thrilling piece, “We Accept the Love We Think We Deserve,” which dancers describe as an adrenaline rush because “it is very dependent on trust and being in the moment.”
Special guest artist, Yunyu Wang, is currently a dance professor at Taipei National University of the Arts and the President of the World Dance Alliance. She was previously Professor and Director of Dance and Asian Studies at Colorado College from 1991-2012. CSU is honored to have her reconstruct excerpts from Rooms (1955), the seminal work of renowned 20th century choreographer, Anna Sokolow.
Anna Sokolow contributed to the world of modern dance for nearly seven decades. She continued to shape contemporary dance with ground-breaking choreography up until her death in March, 2000 at the age of ninety. Sokolow created works full of dramatic contemporary imagery, revealing the full spectrum of human experience and reflecting the tension and alienation of her time.
Rooms (featuring music composed by Kenyon Hopkins for a jazz ensemble), dealt with urban alienation.
Director of Dance, Professor Jane Slusarski-Harris, says “Leaning an important choreographic work through the reconstruction of a Labanotation Score is fascinating and an excellent experience for our students. In addition to restaging from the score, Professor Wang worked directly with Anna Sokolow and thus brings firsthand knowledge of Sokolow’s choreographic masterpiece”.
About Yunyu Wang
Yunyu Wang, a Taiwan native, received a degree in Music and Dance from the Chinese Culture University and then received her Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Illinois. She was a founding member of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (1973-81). Professor Wang is a certified Labanotation Teacher and Reconstructor from the Dance Notation Bureau and a certified Laban Movement Analyst from the Laban Institute of Movement Studies in USA. Between 2006 – 2009, she directed the $1.5 million dance technology project funded by the Ministry of Economics, Taiwan, using Laban Movement Analysis to understand human body motion and emotion. She has been on faculty at the Tsoying Summer Intensive and her choreography was featured at the World Dance Alliance and International Dance Conferences in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Indonesia. Read more.
About Chung-Fu Chang
Chung-Fu Chang began his dancing career in Taiwan, and was part of the internationally renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and Kaohsiung Contemporary Dance Company. Chang received his M.F.A. in Dance at the University of California and was a Chancellor’s Fellowship Recipient. He also earned a four-year scholarship from The Boston Conservatory and the Walter Terry Memorial Full Scholarship from Harvard University. His solo performances and choreographies have taken him to Argentina, Cyprus, England, Greece, Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand. Chang received the Outstanding Faculty Award from The Tau Iota Omega Chapter of Mortar Board in 2008 and the Best Teacher Award from The CSU Alumni Association in 2009. Read more.
The University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University provides an enriched venue in which the study and practice of Art, Dance, Music and Theatre is nurtured and sustained by building the skills and knowledge needed by future generations of arts professionals to become contributors to the essential vitality of our culture and society. During the 2013-2014 season, the UCA celebrates its fifth anniversary and features several celebratory events that highlight connecting our campus and community with impactful arts. For more information, visit UCA.Colostate.edu.