During the second full week of September and fourth week of classes, guest artist Alexandra Beller completed a weeklong residency in the School of Theatre and Dance, culminating in a 20-minute dance work to be performed during the Fall Dance Concert: interACTION December 2-4.
Beller, an artist from New York, came with a wealth of knowledge to present to Illinois State University School of Theatre and Dance Students in topics of dance, dramaturgy, and personal artistry throughout her week on campus. A wide range of students comprised of dancers, actors, directors, designers, and dramaturgs were able to interact with and learn from Beller during her residency which was initiated and coordinated by Darby Wilde, head of the dance department.
During her time in the dance department, Beller taught several technique classes rooted in her knowledge and practice of Laban/ Bartineff Fundamentals and movement analysis. Students eagerly soaked up all of the valuable knowledge Beller had to share about dancing efficiently and taking care of their bodies. Besides having an opportunity to take class with her, 12students from the dance department spent around 40 hours with Beller creating and rehearsing her work “While we’re on the topic of you, you’re welcome” to be performed during the fall dance concert. Beller’s piece will feature costume designs by Lexi Howe Metz and lighting design by faculty Joyce Laio.
This work, comprised of multiple sections, is a comment on the often-overcomplicated dialogue surrounding the interpretations of dance. Beller used sections of her own choreographic repertory as well as movement and written inspiration from her cast of dancers to create a work that is sure to have audiences questioning their expectations of what a dance should be.
As a dancer in Beller’s work, my understanding of what dance is and allowed to be was refreshed. From the audition, where we repeated silly phrases and spoke nonsense more than we danced, I knew that having Beller in the space was going to be unforgettable. The rehearsal process, which started immediately, as in 10 minutes after the audition, was long and grueling, requiring us to clear our schedules for the duration of her residency, but I never dreaded showing up for a 5-hour rehearsal because I knew that what was happening in the studio would only inspire me more as an artist. Beller was extremely kind and attentive to us as people, dancers, and artists making sure we were all feeling our best and developing as artists during the intense rehearsals.
We started the rehearsal process by learning a few sections of Bellers’s previous choreographic works, each very different from one another: an anger-driven group section, duets about relationships, and a phrase or two about a slowly sinking helium balloon. For the other parts of the piece, Beller asked us to create our own movement from well-crafted prompts, such as our feelings about dance and being a tree in the storm. She carefully observed the movement we all individually created and reconstructed it into new phrases so that all of us had input into the piece. Besides movement, we also spent time talking and writing together to create other elements of the piece. After a week of creating and rehearsing, we finished the piece which left us all with a sense of pride and accomplishment as we had pushed ourselves to new heights, both literally and figuratively, throughout the process to create a piece like no other I have ever performed. Beller left us with a piece that was both hers as an artist, but also uniquely ours as a group. While we are no longer able to rehearse and prepare for the show with her present, we still met every Sunday night to run the piece and remember all the corrections, details, stories, and nuances that she had to share with us during her time at Illinois State University. The moments, memories, and hard work that we put in will forever be ours to keep. I am so excited to perform this piece in the fall show.
The Fall Dance Concert: interACTION will have four performances: December 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. and December 3 and 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available through the Center for the Performing Arts box office, open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; by calling (309) 438-2535, or online. Tickets are for $19 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Free performance parking is available in the School Street Parking Deck in spots 250 and above, at 400 West Beaufort Street, in Normal.
