The Sophian

Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Arts

Dance is unique in its total sensory appeal. Dancers are unique in the story they choose to tell. In this spirit, the MFA thesis dance concert showcases the original choreography of four second-year graduate students in the dance department. This year's dancers, Caitlin Johnson, Nicole Kedaroe, Michelle Marroquin and Katie Martin, will be taking the stage and performing contemporary pieces that reflect their disciplined training as well as personal and emotional experiences. The thesis performance, beginning tonight and running through Saturday in Theatre 14, Mendenhall Center, is the culminating presentation of the MFA program and will be an opportunity for these students to showcase everything they have been working toward.

These four pieces are as distinct as each of the individuals performing them. Choreography, set design, music selection and the inclusion of other dancers was completely up to the discretion of the performers. Caitlin Johnson, for instance, made the decision to use an intergenerational cast in her piece, entitled "Picture Window." Her work captures the dynamics of a mother-daughter relationship stemming from this very personal yet widely experienced connection. Her choreography will poetically trace the concept of memory, as it appears within our bodies, through movement and, in particular, objects of our history.

Nicole Kedaroe's piece, entitled "Keeping Ties," also explores the boundaries within a mother-daughter relationship. Her dance will be centered on the viewpoint of the daughter. "Common themes of friendship, admiration and resentment are explored within this complex relationship," said Joan Maxson, publicity manager for Smith College Performing Arts.

Throughout the concert, the use of minimalistic sets expresses the idea of the dancer as art, their every strained muscle conveying a message of personal experience and emotion. The body communicates the story as the movements paint a vivid and visceral picture for all to see. Katie Martin's "Impossible" does just that. "Her dance focuses on the abstract notion of the changes of the body as a moving form, across individual and shared terrains of time," said Maxson. Martin further explores the duality of seemingly opposing forces such as clarity/ambiguity and synchrony/divergence within various points in our lives. Sound artist Jake Meginsky has composed an original score for this piece.

Finally, in "Passages," a live band will accompany Michelle Marroquin as she sets up the story of a community struggling with terminal illness and explores how the looming idea of death centers and focuses an individual's priorities on the here and now of fleeting moments. Inspiration for dance can be drawn from all sorts of outlets. Marroquin revealed that her piece was inspired by the passing of a loved one and dealing with the emotions that are tied to that experience. "I think that both dance and my piece in particular are a kinetic art form. Dance expresses an idea, story, rhythm or sound with the body," she said. "Come with an open mind, don't overwork the narrative line, and be aware of how your body reacts to the performance," Marroquin advised. Are you on the edge of your seat yet?

This highly anticipated performance will take place from Feb. 4 through 6 at 8 p.m.; for tickets contact the box office at 413.585.ARTS (2787) or boxoffice@smith.edu. Tickets can also be ordered online from: www.smith.edu/smitharts.

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