Dancers move. Professional dancers attempt to move their audiences to emotions, through the artistry of their motions and the stories that their movements tell.
Dancers move. Professional dancers attempt to move their audiences to emotions, through the artistry of their motions and the stories that their movements tell.
And that is one of the key lessons Kathy Meyer has been teaching her dance students at Grossmont College over 26 years, 24 of them serving as Dance Department Chair. The students’ application of that instruction was on display in performance at the recent student-choreographed Grossmont College Dance Concert titled “Breaking Boundaries 2015,” which was staged over Nov. 19-21 at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre.
The annual event is the culmination of the Grossmont College Dance Department’s course in Student Dance Theatre Production. The students’ performances formed part of their course grades.
The student performers were mostly intermediate and advanced level learners, Meyer said, although a few were beginners. The performers for the concert were chosen through open-admission auditions the first Friday of the ongoing school term, from among students enrolled at Grossmont College.
The dance pieces were also up for “auditions” as the students progressed in developing their choreography. Meyer said that when the choreography was about halfway done, instructors would evaluate and accept or deny each piece for appearance in the dance concert.
The program included 15 dance pieces and ran for around two hours, including a 15 minute intermission mid-show. The pieces ranged from motivated entertainment to conceptual interpretation and social commentary. The subjects included such dance depictions as breaking out of male and female social roles, life transitions, and searching for personal identity – all dealing with “breaking boundaries” of one sort or another.
How to watch a show like this? Meyer advised, “Let the dance float over you. Watch attentively and ask what the dance is about.” She further said that she is often surprised at how students interpret each other’s dances and the deep meanings they derive in response. “Feel your impressions and allow your emotions about the dance to take hold,” she continued.
One unique aspect of this particular dance concert series was participation of a husband-and-wife team of guest choreographers, Gina Bolles Sorenson and Kyle Sorenson. The dance piece they choreographed, “Exit Us,” was last of the first half of the program before intermission. The dance depicted the struggles of people in bondage as they break free to new lives beyond their suffering.
Grossmont College offers a two-year associate degree in dance or a dance certificate. The program currently has 350-380 students enrolled, according to Meyer. The courses include instruction in all major dance forms, including modern, tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop and acrobatic. Graduates of these programs have become independent choreographers, dance instructors, arts administrators and professional dancers.
Meyer has a message that she says potential dance students and their families may not realize. Dance does lead to good, steady employment. Many of her students land jobs. Not long ago, for example, one of Meyer’s former students called, asking for referrals of other current students to work in the second dance studio she was opening to expand her business.
More information about Grossmont College’s Dance Department classes and offerings is available at www.gcccd.edu. The next Grossmont College Dance Department performance will be faculty choreographed and is slated for April 21-23 at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre, 6611 University Avenue.
