Choreography includes pieces unique to Carolina
“Left, right, up,” choreographer Tanya Wideman-Davis said as she wrapped her left arm around her leg, before rising onto the Releve position and spinning before coming gracefully down to the ground, her legs crossed in front of her. A smattering of girls in messy chignons and ponytails followed behind her.
The group was the University of South Carolina Dance Company, going through one of the last rehearsals they would have for the “Innovative Works without Boundaries” performance set to open Feb. 9 and run through Feb. 12 in Drayton Hall.
The show is composed of four separate parts, featuring choreography by Thaddeus Davis and Tanya Wideman-Davis, of Wideman/Davis Dance, as well as Nathan Trice, from New York City’s nathantrice/RITUALS Dance Theatre, and David Parsons, of Parson’s Dance.
“Let the Fools Stand in Line,” choreographed by Davis, is a contemporary pointe piece that revolves around a concept of controle and the loss of that control. “One of the things that sets the idea of ballet apart for viewers is its beauty, delicacy and formality,” Davis said. “Those are the same elements that make up contemporary dance...”
One of the most controversial of the pieces would be that of current guest artist, Wideman-Davis: “Back Door Parole”. Set in a women’s prison, the piece is a tumultuous one, laden with emotions like love, dominance and anger.
“When women get together, there’s always a hierarchal structure that we put upon each other. This piece plays with the dynamics of those positions,” Wideman-Davis said. “There’s initiation, dominance, possible relationship pairing ... all the different dynamics that could be.”
“Parsons Etude” was created for the American Dance Legacy Institute, but will be performed by the university’s dance education students. The piece is physically demanding, requiring strong movements across the floor but is “touched with humor and lightness,” according to Dance Education Director Dr. Mila Parrish. The piece is also being taught to local high school students via video conferencing, and there are plans to take the piece further into the community.
“Innovative Works Without Boundaries” will open at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $16 for the general public, $14 for faculty/staff, military or 60+ and $10 for students. Tickets are available by calling the Carolina Coliseum box office at 803-777-5112 or may be charged by phone at 803-251-2222.