Written by a current School of Dance major, Avery Mckinley Nank, this story offers an insider's perspective behind-the-scenes as the Gala Concert takes shape. McKinley Nank plans to graduate with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in spring 2027.
When watching a dancer in action, have you ever wondered, “How do they remember all of that?”
The intention, detail, feedback, and connection with others all have to be thought of to execute a well-spoken story. When there is so much to take into account, both the dancers and stagers are accountable for clear communication of the mind and body. Stagers are sent by a choreographer to set dance material on a new group of dancers. They know exactly what the original ambitions were—usually by performing it themselves—and pass that on through classes and words used by the original creator (choreographer).
Here is an inside scoop from the beginning of an ongoing process, for each of the works in this year's Mason Dance Company Gala Concert.
SAMA
SAMA, choreographed by Andrea Miller, creates a moment to step beyond reality. Miller, who holds a MFA from Juilliard, has a keen sense of reflecting humanity through physical expression. She has created work all over the world, focusing on the texture of the movement and the capacity of the skin to sense our surroundings. She gained this knowledge from working in Tel Aviv with Batsheva, a dance company using sensory experience to their advantage, which inspired her to form her own company, Gallim.
SAMA first premiered in 2019 with the London dance company Rambert2. A cast of fourteen dancers create a vivid sense of community crucial to the work, and as senior dance major Sydney Heldman describes, they are celebrating “their blood and culture.” The movements curated are raw, with thrashing limbs and rooted bodies. Extreme positions are reached with immense control and power. Dancers put every muscle toward the ritual. To prepare for the ceremonial work, they do jumping jacks and other cardio-intensive exercises before even touching the stage. Jillian Hrzic, a sophomore cast member, explains, “There is focus toward a higher power,” affirming that all the energy is built to go beyond human normalcy. The music also expresses continuous strife through its consistent thrum, changing with eerie noises of contingency.
The learning process for this piece included defining what Andrea Miller’s particular movement style was to each dancer. Stagers Donterreo Culp and India Hobbs are both in Gallim, allowing them to have a strong understanding of what is expected in SAMA. They gave a clear demonstration and relayed that the movement was to be as direct as possible. They have given these dancers all they need for you to experience something intense, raw, and invigorating. Enjoy SAMA, a work that transcends.
An Excerpt from It Starts Now
Alejandro Cerrudo is an artistic director, producer, and choreographer. He has choreographed for Pacific Northwest Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and other similar companies. The excerpt you will see at the Center for the Arts was not made for a specific company. Instead, it was crafted with artists from a variety of places, premiering at the Joyce Theater in New York City in 2021.
One of the most identifiable aspects of this solo is the billowing steam emitting from the costume. This quality is both contrasting and equal to the movement portrayed. It Starts Now has concise, sharp moments followed by elongated and wafting limbs. It is quick and clear, making the lyrics of the song easy to hear. The six dancers who learned this work received a script of the words to better understand and remember what they are to evoke. Sophomore Aaron Emenheiser, one of the dancers, feels like he is “rising up against those who oppress [him].” For Jemia Terry, a junior-year student, her perspective is “about the way soldiers should fight but have dignity.” It is good to note that this role is typically done by a male-identifying person, making it particularly special that two Mason Dance Company women have been chosen to learn the repertoire.
Overall, a takeaway that sophomore Robert Harris took from experiencing this residency was the importance of details. The level of organization and clarity that was found through only exerting seventy percent of his energy added a level of ease to refining each step. Artistic director Susan Shields emphasizes this method in her modern class. Surely this helped the dancers throughout the process with stager Rae Srivastava. Notice this ease and feel some of it for yourself while watching an excerpt of It Starts Now.
Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene
Mehdi Walerski’s Romeo and Juliet, set to the glorious score by Sergei Prokofiev, first premiered in 2018 with the Vancouver dance company Ballet BC. Before directing at Ballet BC, Walerski danced and choreographed for Nederlands Dans Theater, creating many works for the company. The work you will see is based on the balcony scene of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The duet has been performed by various ballet companies around the world, but this version has a contemporary twist. Dancing in socks with a large balcony as part of the set, Romeo and Juliet have just begun to explore their love for each other, despite the fact that their families are long-standing rivals. The intimate aspect that comes with this story added a unique layer to the residency experience with stager Sarah Pippin. Dancers got the opportunity to work with an intimacy coordinator during the process. Dancers were most challenged by the complex lifts. During the process, the material was learned and perfected by watching each other and examining a video of the duet. Nifa Omundi, a sophomore cast member, noticed how something was working for one of the other couples in the room. This helped her to transfer the information and try it out with her partner. It is crucial for both dancers to contribute to the emotional and physical aspects of the work.
While watching this piece, you might feel the intense love between Romeo and Juliet. They express this through reaching outstretched palms and gentle touch. Each connection is flourished with intricate geometric designs and sweeping spatial pathways. The music is full of string instruments, drawing parallels to the yearning quality. One of the biggest takeaways dancer Robert Harris had from this experience was that having a connection between two people is much more important than a single person’s strength.
Enter Woven
Victor Quijada is the founder, choreographer, and artistic director of RUBBERBAND. RUBBERBAND is a dance company with its own unique style termed the RUBBERBAND Method. This was crafted out of the diverse hip-hop, ballet, and contemporary dance experience Quijada had. After dancing in Twyla Tharp’s company, he moved to Montreal to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. In 2002, he founded RUBBERBAND and created three main concepts for the Method: the space is never empty; where there is contact, there is expansion; and the importance of eye contact.
Throughout Enter Woven, the dancers stay attentive to these details. Every day of the residency, they participated in a two-hour-long class, led by either Daniela Jezerinac or Quijada, that dug deeper into the RUBBERBAND Method. Rosalena Carr, a junior cover, admitted she was moving and thinking in an entirely different manner than usual in these classes. The class included footwork, floorwork, and a lot of partnering. Part of the approach emphasized giving pressure through the feet to anchor the rest of the body in space. Kalen Simpson, a senior cast member, says that it “allowed [him] to make more daring choices.” These daring choices, along with the stories of each individual, will be seen within Enter Woven.
This work explores storytelling and listening as a community. Inspired by a current read at the time, Quijada wanted dancers to push each other to share their experiences both physically and mentally. The physical contact supplied leads to reactions and emits visible resistance. You might notice it looks as if the space surrounding the dancers is being held and manipulated at all times.
Branndi Lewis’s Original
Branndi Lewis has choreographed for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Professional Division, Ailey II, and the Jacob’s Pillow Choreography Fellows program. She has also been on faculty at Marymount Manhattan College and Dreyfoos School of the Arts. Her choreographic voice is driven by the capabilities of the human body.
In Branndi Lewis’s Original, both masculine and feminine energy is explored. With an all-women cast, Lewis wanted to explore how these two energies make their way into women’s lives and what manifests from that. To cultivate this, Lewis drew from both Horton technique and African dance. Horton is a codified modern technique that stands out through its fierce and linear nature. With her certificate in Horton pedagogy from the Ailey School, she taught Horton-based classes to the dancers. African dance includes groundedness and polyrhythms. Jaelyn Perkins, a junior cast member, felt that the difference between African and Horton “highlight[s] the balance and tension between these energies [masculine and feminine].” While neither is superior to the other, they both affect the way we move through life.
Branndi Lewis’s Original is a force beyond comparison. These dancers demonstrate cool collectivity and extreme skill in fast, striking ways. They also tap into subtler movements with concentrated unison. The music you will hear evokes a pulsating kinesthetic experience. As you watch, feel the power and balance of masculine and feminine qualities.