The U’s department of ballet’s Ballet Ensemble 2006 premieres “Elements of Motion” tonight.
Maureen Laird, an associate professor in the ballet department, embraced the dual role of acting as artistic director as well as one of the choreographers for the show.
“I have to find moments for my own choreographic voice, while coordinating the production and still teaching all of my classes,” Laird said.
Laird said the other choreographers- Jane Smith, Annri Opitz-Kostick and Carlie Smith-Conder-all created pieces for the performance that manifest diversity throughout the show.
“(Opitz-Kostick) and (Smith) can take the simplest movement and make it so beautiful,” Laird said. “It is beautiful because it is true.”
Smith, an instructor in the department and former principal dancer with Ballet West, choreographed “Au Courant,” a contemporary ballet piece to music from “Angels of Venice,” as well as music from the “House of Flying Daggers” soundtrack.
“The music sounded watery to me, and we were given blue costumes so swirling motion became a theme,” Smith said.
Opitz-Kostick, an instructor in the ballet department, has danced in previous Ballet Ensemble performances and said she is excited to show her second choreographed work, “Voices of Hope.”
The music, from the “Black Hawk Down” soundtrack and composed by Hans Zimmer, inspires the movement of her piece, Opitz-Kostick said.
“I think the piece evokes a feeling of hope. The music from the first movement is so sad, but then the drums pick up the tempo, which represents the feeling of war,” Opitz-Kostick said.
Opitz-Kostick chose to dress the dancers in bright-colored unitards. These minimalist costumes are meant to accentuate the emotion of the music in the dancers’ movements.
Conder, a professor at Scottsdale College in Arizona, earned her bachelor’s degree from the U department of ballet and was Laird’s student. Laird invited her to set her piece, “Stolen Time,” on six dancers.
The piece consists of three different movements and is set to music by Antonio Vivaldi. Conder said she was inspired by tsunami disasters.
“Select movements within the choreography represent the calm of the storm,” Dominique Del Grosso, a U freshman, said.
The performers dance the modern-influenced movement in pointe shoes. Unified by the color white, their costumes vary in style.
Because Conder is a guest choreographer and her time was limited, U graduate student Christina Chockley stepped in as rehearsal assistant when Conder had to leave.
Chockley also assembled a seven-minute film featuring the rehearsal process decorated with a few humorous outtakes.
Laird’s “Excerpts from a Rock Opera” closes the show. She choreographed movement to music composed by Richard Wacko, the character dance professor for the department.
When defining a rock opera, Laird said, “It is a juxtaposition of music and spoken words.”
Wacko composed an entire opera, using local students to record the music. Wacko and the musicians will perform the score live onstage.
“Blending dance and live music adds a heightened element,” Laird said.
Opitz-Kostick encourages everyone to support the department by attending “Elements of Motion.”
“I’ve gotten out and seen other dancers and other institutions, and it made me realize how talented the U’s dancers are,” Opitz-Kostick said. “The other dancers are strong, but the U dancers are just on another level.”