Purdue dance company to present virtual Spring Works concert

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Contemporary Dance Company will present its virtual Spring Works dance concert May 1-2. Because of the pandemic, the concert will include original works created for film and not for the stage.

The dance company at Purdue University will present seven new selected works by dance faculty and student artists. The dances use original sound and lighting produced by students in the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance.

Registration for each show is available online via Purdue Ticket Office or by calling the Purdue box office at 765-494-3933. Tickets are $14 per viewer for adults and $11 per viewer for students. Performances and registration deadlines are:

• May 1 (Saturday) – Show at 7:30 p.m. Register by 3 p.m.
• May 2 (Sunday) – Show at 2:30 p.m. Register by 11 a.m.

The dance productions are as follows:

• Faculty member Carol Cunningham-Sigman has created a dance film that reflects her own human experience while dealing with COVID-19. “Periphery” shows two individuals going through their day – in an elevator, in a corridor and outdoors, adhering to mask wearing and the physical boundaries placed on them because of the pandemic. Dancers express feelings of indifference, isolation, frustration and hope as they travel through the variety of environments together.
• Faculty member Kathleen Hickey digs deep into the creative process with her new work, “Planes of Being.” Inspired by the interplay of bodies moving within a city, this dance navigates a dynamic movement vocabulary including spirals, gesture and stillness, while dancers are in an everchanging geometric relationship.
• Faculty member Petur Iliev has created “Eclectic Edge,” a ballet for five. The work explores a carefully developed collection of different styles, challenging the dancers to the edge of their technical and physical abilities. Through duets, trios, quartets and quintets, they unfold the music and the space freely and seamlessly.
• Faculty member Renee Murray, in “A Movement of Jubilation,” abstractly expresses the collective joy one experiences at a large public event. Dancers find fleeting connections with each other through expansive, brisk movement.
• Madison Hinton’s new work, “Recovery Driven Apprehension,” illustrates the daily anxieties experienced by people with eating disorders. A senior, Hinton is a student choreographer this semester, graduating with a major in special education, a concentration in reading and minors in learning sciences and dance.
• The piece by senior Jet Terry, titled “Starving Artist,” dives into what goes on inside the mind of a performer. This includes the highs and lows that a performer faces on a daily basis. Terry is majoring in acting with a minor in dance.
• Lauren Weglarz’s piece, “Astrophilia,” is inspired by the feeling of looking at the night sky and exploring the different elements of space. She is a graduating senior majoring in corporate communication with minors in organizational leadership and dance.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/. 

Writer: Makenna Fitzgerald

Source: Sally Wallace, 765-494-5993, sallyw@purdue.edu  

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