Wednesday, May 15, 1996
Students dance to faculty direction in weekend’s eventBy Cheryl
Klein
Daily Bruin Contributor
Wrinkly, earth-colored dresses swirl about the dancers’ ankles
with the subdued grace that triumphs in a concentration camp.
When asked about the costumes worn in the UCLA Dance Company’s
31st Annual Spring Concert, choreographer Victoria Marks replies
with the slightest touch of disapproval, "Oh, right. This is
L.A."
Marks and the other faculty choreographers and student dancers
emphasize that there are many forms of effort which go into a
performance, especially one as diverse as this. The Spring concert,
which opens tonight, features genres ranging from ballet to modern,
and costumes ranging to what Marks describes as "shmootzy gold
pants" to the starched uniform of a Nazi soldier.
But for freshman dancers Jennifer Lafferty and Sofia Tower, it
took more than clothing to capture the turbulence and despair of
the holocaust.
"It’s still really hard for me just to picture myself in that
place and also to be thinking about the dance steps," says
Lafferty, a soloist in the piece.
Her character mourns the death of a man in her life, but those
portrayed touch other characters physically as a means of achieving
unity amidst pain. This form of communication has extended to the
dancers themselves.
"I think you have to become more comfortable with one another to
be able to dance with them and interact emotionally and
physically," Lafferty says.
Tower proves this point as she casually brushes a hair off
Lafferty’s shoulder.
"It’s real deep and not very happy," Tower admits of the piece
choreographed by Ron Brown.
Marks also explores communication through movement and music in
a piece entitled "Dancing to Music."
"During the course of the piece, the dancers start to see one
another, and even thought they’re still alone, they make
connections with each other," Marks explains. "I think it’s a very
dramatic piece."
She also brings drama into her second number, in which four
women move only their heads and faces, while the rest of their
bodies remain motionless.
Says Marks, "It could be like choreographed acting."
Tower agrees that dramatic interpretation is a vital, if
difficult, component of dance.
"There’s a lot of acting as well as dancing," Tower says. "So
that made it kind of hard for us. We’re like, ‘Acting? Wait…"
While the members of the holocaust piece watched "Schindler’s
List" for inspiration, the dancers in Marks’ piece looked to their
own lives.
"It’s about the people in it," Marks says of the head-moving
piece. "Their words are in it. They made up some of the movement in
it. They make up some of the movements in it, and we talked about
the ideas as they were developing. It’s a lot about their love of
dancing…Who are they and what are their fantasies and dreams
about dancing?"
This year, more students got a chance to fulfill their dreams of
performing than in past years. While dancers have traditionally
been chosen on an audition basis, this Spring Concert marked a
significant shift.
"Some pieces didn’t have auditions," Marks explains, "so that
the choreographer, like myself, walked into group of students and
said, ‘Okay, we are making a piece together. Everyone is going to
be in the piece.’"
This change brought a new angle to Marks’ choreography.
"Instead of just making a piece that is in my head and just
putting it on these dancers as though they were not personalities
and they were just generic movers," Marks says, "that piece begins
to be about who we are. It’s a big difference."
At times, it was also a challenge. Marks was often aware of
clashes in technique and background.
"My way might have been very different for some people and so
they felt like they were lost. You know, ‘Wait! This isn’t the way
I think making a dance is supposed to work,’ or ‘What kind of dance
does she have in mind?’"
But after many exhausting rehearsals, the dancers and
choreographers are ready to watch their hard work bloom.
"It’s been in my head and now it finally comes out. This is the
best part," says Marks, adding that, "I think everybody should go
to the theater and have a really good time. And then when they
leave, they should have lots to think about."
DANCE: Dpartment of World Arts and Cultures presents the UCLA
Dance Company’s 31st Annual Spring Concert, May 16-18 at 8 p.m. in
Dance Building 200. TIX: $7 and $12. For more info., call (310)
825-2101.
While dancers have traditionally been chosen on an audition
basis, this Spring Concert marked a significant shift.